"Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe." - nhs.UK

Hypnotherapy for Anxiety and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in Children

The signs of anxiety in children are many and varied and can often be missed, misinterpreted as naughtiness or attention seeking behaviour by parents or carers when they are in fact symptoms of a very real, frightening and sometimes debilitating issue for the child.

Signs or indications that your child may be suffering from anxiety are many and vary from child to child but include:

• negative thoughts, pessimism
• negative self-talk
• obsessive thoughts
• fearfulness
• irritability or anger
• lack of concentration
• panic attacks
• disrupted sleep
• hyperactivity
• unusually withdrawn or clingy
• headaches or dizziness
• tummy aches or nausea
• sweating
• eczema (or worsening of)
• bullying/being bullied
• speech impediment

When working with children it's important that they feel listened to and empowered, so during hypnotherapy for an anxious child the conversation is directly with the child. The parent or carer is there for moral support and safeguarding but should be "in the background" as much as possible. The session is about engaging the child and really listening to their responses; they might be quite different to those you would make on their behalf and can sometimes be surprising!

Sessions are kept informal and we'll have a bit of fun along the way, bringing their interests and favourite things into the conversation too. In any kind of therapy for children it's really important that the child feels comfortable and trusts the therapist, so they can engage with the process and get the most out of it.

Children need to know who they are coming to see, why and be willing to give it a try, to reap the benefits of therapy. For this reason, I encourage any parent or carer  considering hypnotherapy for a child with anxiety to give me a call and talk it through first, without any obligation to proceed. I'm happy to talk to both parent/carer and child, in person, by phone or online via Zoom prior to arranging an Initial Consultation so you and your child can better understand what to expect and get to know me.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy has been shown to be one of the most powerful talking therapies available and has the additional benefit that it does not rely on the child being able to articulate what they are feeling or why. We can just concentrate on reducing anxiety in the present and giving them the tools to cope with anxiety and stressful situations in the future so that they can be themselves again. It is natural for most parents, carers and medical professionals to consider anti-anxiety medication only as a last resort for children. Hypnotherapy is entirely an natural, non-invasive and effective means of achieving sustained relief from anxiety.

What if My Child Doesn't Want to See a Hypnotherapist?

It's OK if your child doesn't want to have sessions with a hypnotherapist. It can be daunting to talk to someone you don't know and a good relationship between therapist and child is vital for the success of any therapy. Don't force a child with anxiety to attend therapy sessions if that approach isn't for them.

There is still the option of working with your child at home to relieve their anxiety.

To help parents and carers with this I've created a free downloadable ebook on how you can help your anxious child.

Click on the image below to sign up and receive your free ebook link by email (please remember to check your junk folder in case it's been misdirected).

Impact of the Global Pandemic

Recent research for the youth mental health charity, YoungMinds, in summer 2020 has shown that 83% of children questioned responded to say that the global coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has made their mental health "worse" or "a bit worse". Children and young people are commonly experiencing anxiety and worry including:

• fear of dying
• fear of relatives dying
• fear of testing/medical treatment
• fear of social contact at school or in leisure time
• fear caused by focus on measures designed to control the virus and keep them safe

The longer the COVID-19 pandemic continues the higher the prevalence of anxiety and anxiety-related issues in our children, and the population in general. This greater demand has stretched provision mental health services in the NHS with the knock-on effect of increased waiting times.

If you are concerned about your child's anxiety or other aspects of mental health, please consult your doctor. If you are interested in hypnotherapy as a means of alleviating anxiety in your child, or have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. You might be surprised how quickly you'll start to see the results.

Elaine Neale 

BSC(hons) HPD DSFH SF Sup(Hyp), MNCH (Acc), CNHC (Reg), AfSFH (Reg)

Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist

Hypnotherapy Supervisor

Senior Lecturer

07976 661994

Elaine.Neale@Happy-Hypnotherapy.co.uk

If you are considering hypnotherapy for your child or have any questions, please get in touch by phone, email or via my FaceBook or Linked In pages and I'd be happy to help.

Why not join the discussion in my positive and supportive Calm Kids Kingdom FaceBook Group for parents and carers of children and young people with anxiety.