How Online Therapy
can Help Children
with Separation Anxiety Disorder

Every parent has a hilarious story to tell about their toddler’s first day in school. Usually, they won’t let you go without a fight—crying, struggling to get back into your arms.

It is normal for children of that age to feel separation anxiety in an unfamiliar environment and also without the presence of their parents.

It is healthy, even, and considered a part of their childhood development. Often, after a while, the child becomes familiar with the environment and also with the secondary caretaker (childcare or schoolteacher) that is supervising them.

Since children have different patterns of development and their pace cannot be the same, the time it will take some toddlers to get used to certain separation times from their parents will differ from others. And this is perfectly normal.
However, there are times when extreme behaviors may occur when your child is separated from you. If this goes on for a length of time and worsens to the point that it is negatively affecting your child’s everyday activities, this may be a cause for concern.

Some Signals Your Child may have Separation Anxiety:

  • Your child is too clingy and follows you everywhere you go
  • Crying and throwing tantrums when briefly separated from the child
  • Severe physical distress, e.g., headaches, stomach aches, vomiting
  • Your child has constant panic attacks and difficulty breathing
  • Refusal to sleep alone in their rooms

It is usual for your 2-year old child to want to be around you anywhere you are. Many might even say it’s cute.

But when they are of the age (around 6-11) where there should be signs of a certain level of independence, and there aren’t any, then you may want to consider the next line of action – counseling. Counseling helps the child and YOU by not only identifying the root cause of the issue, but also assistance in resolving the issue so that your child can enjoy normal activities, without debilitating fear.

Online therapy and its role in the treatment of Separation Anxiety

There are several reasons why online therapy is ideally suited for the treatment of separation anxiety disorder and below are a few of them:

1. It promotes communication: Online counseling is fluid and adapted to modern-day technology. Both you and your child can feel comfortable in your own space, which assists the child in feeling more free to discuss their thoughts/feelings.

2. Online therapy is flexible and convenient: By receiving treatment online, your child will be able to combine other day-to-day activities (like going to school), being in a separate room, not constantly hovering around you- without discomfort. For you are the parent, it is easier to pick your child up from school and go home to an appointment with your child’s online therapist rather than having to drive to another location.

Family Counseling is an important part of Online therapy for your child

When your child is going through an emotional crisis, it ends up affecting the lives of everyone in the family.

By engaging in family counseling, the therapist can help the family with solutions on how to resolve issues, address new ones as they come up, and have a plan to prevent further ones from developing.

Separation anxiety disorder is a prevalent condition in children. Without proper intervention, anxiety and then depression may accompany them into adulthood.

If your child is showing symptoms of Separation Anxiety, it is probably time for you to seek the services of a licensed online therapist contracted with Carolina Counseling Services in Fuquay Varina, NC to help them through this challenging period.

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