Common Questions and Concerns
Is this the right treatment for me or my child?
The New England Center for Anxiety specializes in the treatment of anxiety and related disorders. We treat adults, adolescents, and children diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia, Panic Disorder, Specific Phobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and other anxiety diagnoses that a primary difficulty. If at any time it appears that one's primary difficulty is not anxiety, our treatment program may not be the best fit. If this is the case, we will provide you with referrals to ensure that you and/or your child receives the best treatment possible.
How common are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders are among the most common forms of distress. Approximately 6 to 16% of all children suffer from anxiety disorders, and these rates tend to increase with age. Many of the anxieties seen in childhood are not uncommon in the course of normal development; however, childhood anxiety becomes a concern when it is extreme, lasts for a long time, and interferes with child and/or family functioning. Over 40 million adults (approximately 18% of adults 18 and older) struggle with anxiety in one form or another. So reach out for help -- you are in good company!
Is therapy expensive?
Yes, therapy is expensive but it is an important Investment in your future. An investment in therapy, much like improvements to your home, can save money and increase psychological well-being and happiness in the long-term. In therapy, we will teach you (and your child) specific skills to cope in anxiety-provoking situations so that you will be prepared for the inevitable anxieties that present themselves on the road of life. A therapist's job is to make him/herself obsolete and to empower you (and your child). Please also note that your insurance company may reimburse a significant portion of your therapy costs. Please call your insurance company to inquire about your coverage for mental and behavioral health services.
Is therapy confidential?
Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and psychotherapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but the therapist's office. Every therapist should provide a written copy of their confidential disclosure agreement, and you can expect that what you discuss in session will not be shared with anyone. This is called “Informed Consent”. Sometimes, however, you may want your therapist to share information or give an update to someone on your healthcare team (e.g., physician), but by law your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission. State law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:
What will therapy look like?
We offer therapy in a variety of formats (adult therapy, child/adolescent only therapy, parent only therapy, and family therapy). After meeting with you, we can decide together which format is best for you and/or your child. If your child is receiving “child only” therapy, you will still have an active role in your child’s treatment. There will be at least two parent sessions throughout the course of your child’s treatment. In these sessions, we will help you to develop the skills necessary to encourage your child to face his/her fears and use his/her coping skills. We also like to check in periodically with you to discuss your child’s progress and answer any questions that you may have.
What kind of therapy will be provided?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used with all clients in order to teach skills to cope with anxiety-provoking situations. CBT is a treatment method often used to treat mood and anxiety disorders. CBT is based on the belief that our thoughts strongly affect our feelings and behaviors. That is, our behaviors and emotions are not necessarily caused by external factors (people, situations, and events). The benefit to this way of thinking is that we can change the way we think to feel better even if the situation does not change. Similarly, our thoughts and emotions are influenced by our behaviors. As such, changing behavior can have profound effects on mood and thoughts. In CBT, you will find treatment techniques that are cognitive in nature (modification of thoughts, emotion education, problem-solving) as well as behavioral in nature (relaxation training, role plays, homework assignments, practice of newly acquired skills). Click here for a recent New York Times article on the importance of and difficulty in finding psychologists who specialize in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
I know CBT works with adults. Does CBT therapy work with children? Is there research support?
Cognitive-behavioral treatments have shown great promise in the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders. Numerous well designed research studies conducted in the United States and other countries around the world routinely find that approximately 60-70% of children who receive a cognitive-behavioral treatment for childhood anxiety disorders no longer have their primary anxiety disorder at the end of treatment. Some of these studies have followed these children for up to 7 years after treatment and continue to find them free of their primary anxiety diagnosis. Additionally, childhood anxiety disorders have been linked to depression and substance use in adolescence and adulthood. Many researchers have suggested that CBT for childhood anxiety disorders may reduce the numbers of children who go on to develop depression and substance use.
How long can I expect to my child/adolescent to be in treatment?
Time in therapy is determined by the child and family's unique situation but typically ranges from 15 to 20 sessions. The first half of therapy (about 8-10 sessions) is all about learning skills. We teach your child the skills that he/she needs to be able to cope with his/her fear or anxiety. Examples of the skills that your child will be learning include: differentiating among emotions, breathing deeply and relaxing, modifying self-talk and rewarding efforts at coping. During the second half of therapy (about 8 sessions), your child will practice the skills that he/she learned during the first half of therapy in increasingly anxiety provoking situations. Your child will progress through a series of “adventures” or “challenges” during which he/she is placed in an anxiety provoking situation and coached on using newly learned coping skills. Don’t worry; we start with very mildly anxiety provoking situations. Then we slowly and deliberately work our way up to situations that provoke a greater degree of anxiety. This ensures that your child has developed a sense of mastery before moving on to the next “adventure” or “challenge.” As may now be obvious, the second half of treatment is different for every child. No two therapy sessions will ever look the same. Each child brings a unique presentation of fears and worries to therapy, and the treatment outcomes are related to how well treatment targets your child’s specific fears and worries. Therefore, we will be soliciting your help in planning for the “adventures” or “challenges” to ensure that we are targeting as many of your child’s fears/worries as possible.
I don't want to send my child/adolescent the message that there is something wrong with him/her.
When children want to be better artists, they attend art lessons. When they wish to improve their performance on the soccer field, they work with a coach to sharpen their skills. Therapy is no different. I like to use the "coach" analogy with children. I am a person ("coach") who can help children to be a bit better in coping with fears, worries, and anxieties. It's easy to normalize the experience of anxiety for children and teens because it is an emotion that every one experiences to some degree. The treatment provided in the New England Center for Child Anxiety was developed for children and adolescents and, as a result, is very child-friendly. Session activities are hands-on, engaging, and designed to bring session content to life.
What can I do to help my child/adolescent?
No matter what format of therapy your child is receiving, you may at times feel limited in your ability to help and wonder if you are doing all that you can. Rest assured, there is much you can do to decrease your child’s anxiety. In fact, we believe that the control over your child’s anxiety is as much yours as it is your child’s. During treatment, we will more fully discuss these ideas and provide you with specific techniques and strategies to facilitate parenting an anxious child. During the first half of therapy, you can reinforce at home the treatment concepts that we are teaching your child during therapy. During the second half of therapy, you can support your child through his/her “adventures” conducted in session. Additionally and perhaps most importantly, you can ensure that your child faces his/her fears at home as often as is feasible. We will be assigning "Show That I Can" tasks to facilitate the completion of these “adventures” at home. There is much you can do -- the work is as much yours as your child and you may have more ability to promote your child's coping than you think!
Is this the right treatment for me or my child?
The New England Center for Anxiety specializes in the treatment of anxiety and related disorders. We treat adults, adolescents, and children diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia, Panic Disorder, Specific Phobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and other anxiety diagnoses that a primary difficulty. If at any time it appears that one's primary difficulty is not anxiety, our treatment program may not be the best fit. If this is the case, we will provide you with referrals to ensure that you and/or your child receives the best treatment possible.
How common are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders are among the most common forms of distress. Approximately 6 to 16% of all children suffer from anxiety disorders, and these rates tend to increase with age. Many of the anxieties seen in childhood are not uncommon in the course of normal development; however, childhood anxiety becomes a concern when it is extreme, lasts for a long time, and interferes with child and/or family functioning. Over 40 million adults (approximately 18% of adults 18 and older) struggle with anxiety in one form or another. So reach out for help -- you are in good company!
Is therapy expensive?
Yes, therapy is expensive but it is an important Investment in your future. An investment in therapy, much like improvements to your home, can save money and increase psychological well-being and happiness in the long-term. In therapy, we will teach you (and your child) specific skills to cope in anxiety-provoking situations so that you will be prepared for the inevitable anxieties that present themselves on the road of life. A therapist's job is to make him/herself obsolete and to empower you (and your child). Please also note that your insurance company may reimburse a significant portion of your therapy costs. Please call your insurance company to inquire about your coverage for mental and behavioral health services.
Is therapy confidential?
Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and psychotherapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but the therapist's office. Every therapist should provide a written copy of their confidential disclosure agreement, and you can expect that what you discuss in session will not be shared with anyone. This is called “Informed Consent”. Sometimes, however, you may want your therapist to share information or give an update to someone on your healthcare team (e.g., physician), but by law your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission. State law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:
- Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders
- Serious danger of harming oneself or threats of harm to another person.
What will therapy look like?
We offer therapy in a variety of formats (adult therapy, child/adolescent only therapy, parent only therapy, and family therapy). After meeting with you, we can decide together which format is best for you and/or your child. If your child is receiving “child only” therapy, you will still have an active role in your child’s treatment. There will be at least two parent sessions throughout the course of your child’s treatment. In these sessions, we will help you to develop the skills necessary to encourage your child to face his/her fears and use his/her coping skills. We also like to check in periodically with you to discuss your child’s progress and answer any questions that you may have.
What kind of therapy will be provided?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used with all clients in order to teach skills to cope with anxiety-provoking situations. CBT is a treatment method often used to treat mood and anxiety disorders. CBT is based on the belief that our thoughts strongly affect our feelings and behaviors. That is, our behaviors and emotions are not necessarily caused by external factors (people, situations, and events). The benefit to this way of thinking is that we can change the way we think to feel better even if the situation does not change. Similarly, our thoughts and emotions are influenced by our behaviors. As such, changing behavior can have profound effects on mood and thoughts. In CBT, you will find treatment techniques that are cognitive in nature (modification of thoughts, emotion education, problem-solving) as well as behavioral in nature (relaxation training, role plays, homework assignments, practice of newly acquired skills). Click here for a recent New York Times article on the importance of and difficulty in finding psychologists who specialize in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
I know CBT works with adults. Does CBT therapy work with children? Is there research support?
Cognitive-behavioral treatments have shown great promise in the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders. Numerous well designed research studies conducted in the United States and other countries around the world routinely find that approximately 60-70% of children who receive a cognitive-behavioral treatment for childhood anxiety disorders no longer have their primary anxiety disorder at the end of treatment. Some of these studies have followed these children for up to 7 years after treatment and continue to find them free of their primary anxiety diagnosis. Additionally, childhood anxiety disorders have been linked to depression and substance use in adolescence and adulthood. Many researchers have suggested that CBT for childhood anxiety disorders may reduce the numbers of children who go on to develop depression and substance use.
How long can I expect to my child/adolescent to be in treatment?
Time in therapy is determined by the child and family's unique situation but typically ranges from 15 to 20 sessions. The first half of therapy (about 8-10 sessions) is all about learning skills. We teach your child the skills that he/she needs to be able to cope with his/her fear or anxiety. Examples of the skills that your child will be learning include: differentiating among emotions, breathing deeply and relaxing, modifying self-talk and rewarding efforts at coping. During the second half of therapy (about 8 sessions), your child will practice the skills that he/she learned during the first half of therapy in increasingly anxiety provoking situations. Your child will progress through a series of “adventures” or “challenges” during which he/she is placed in an anxiety provoking situation and coached on using newly learned coping skills. Don’t worry; we start with very mildly anxiety provoking situations. Then we slowly and deliberately work our way up to situations that provoke a greater degree of anxiety. This ensures that your child has developed a sense of mastery before moving on to the next “adventure” or “challenge.” As may now be obvious, the second half of treatment is different for every child. No two therapy sessions will ever look the same. Each child brings a unique presentation of fears and worries to therapy, and the treatment outcomes are related to how well treatment targets your child’s specific fears and worries. Therefore, we will be soliciting your help in planning for the “adventures” or “challenges” to ensure that we are targeting as many of your child’s fears/worries as possible.
I don't want to send my child/adolescent the message that there is something wrong with him/her.
When children want to be better artists, they attend art lessons. When they wish to improve their performance on the soccer field, they work with a coach to sharpen their skills. Therapy is no different. I like to use the "coach" analogy with children. I am a person ("coach") who can help children to be a bit better in coping with fears, worries, and anxieties. It's easy to normalize the experience of anxiety for children and teens because it is an emotion that every one experiences to some degree. The treatment provided in the New England Center for Child Anxiety was developed for children and adolescents and, as a result, is very child-friendly. Session activities are hands-on, engaging, and designed to bring session content to life.
What can I do to help my child/adolescent?
No matter what format of therapy your child is receiving, you may at times feel limited in your ability to help and wonder if you are doing all that you can. Rest assured, there is much you can do to decrease your child’s anxiety. In fact, we believe that the control over your child’s anxiety is as much yours as it is your child’s. During treatment, we will more fully discuss these ideas and provide you with specific techniques and strategies to facilitate parenting an anxious child. During the first half of therapy, you can reinforce at home the treatment concepts that we are teaching your child during therapy. During the second half of therapy, you can support your child through his/her “adventures” conducted in session. Additionally and perhaps most importantly, you can ensure that your child faces his/her fears at home as often as is feasible. We will be assigning "Show That I Can" tasks to facilitate the completion of these “adventures” at home. There is much you can do -- the work is as much yours as your child and you may have more ability to promote your child's coping than you think!