Compassionate Care to Conquer Separation Anxiety
We Believe
Children deserve to live a life free of excessive stress and worry
Separation anxiety is a natural stage of development for infants and toddlers. While it’s common for young children to experience a period of separation anxiety, most children outgrow their separation anxiety by age three. If your child’s separation anxiety seems intense or prolonged, or if they’re experiencing separation anxiety past the age of six, they may be struggling with a separation anxiety disorder.
Separation anxiety in children results from overwhelming fear and avoidance of situations where they will be separated from a loved one. If your child suffers from separation anxiety disorder, you do not have to face this challenging time alone - we’re here to help. With the right tools and solutions, your child can overcome their anxiety to live their life free of excessive worrying, panic, and fear when their parent or loved one is away.
Compassionate Care for Sustainable Change
While separation anxiety is common in infants and toddlers, when left untreated in older children, separation anxiety disorders can impact academics, the ability to attend school, family interactions, and social interactions. In severe cases, it can lead to panic or anxiety disorders during the teenage years, or into adulthood.
At Cypress, we’re passionate about empowering children and teens to be more calm, confident, and at ease when they are away from their parents and loved ones. We work with children from all backgrounds and walks of life to help them live a life where happiness and fulfillment are the focus, not fear and anxiety. Using a combination of scientific techniques, creative solutions, and compassionate care, our therapists are committed to helping children and teens find the solutions they need to identify, mitigate, and overpower the root causes of their separation anxiety disorder.
What Causes Separation Anxiety Disorder?
- Life stressors, such as starting a new school, divorce, or moving
- Death or the loss of a pet
- A family history of anxiety disorders
- Environmental factors, such as a trauma or disaster that involves separation
Characteristics of Separation Anxiety Disorder
- Excessive or recurrent distress about being away from loved ones
- Constant worry or anxiety about losing a parent or loved one to an illness or disaster
- Persistent worry that something bad will happen to cause separation from a parent or loved one (such as kidnapping)
- Refusing to go to school or any place that causes them to be away from their loved one
- Not wanting to be left home alone without a parent or caregiver
- Refusal or reluctance to sleep away from home or a loved one
- Recurrent nightmares about separation
- Physical symptoms when separation from a parent is anticipated (such as headaches or stomach aches)
- An overwhelming fear of being alone
A Safe Space for Growth and Development
Typically, children who struggle with separation anxiety disorders come from a close-knit family where they become fearful when separated from a parent or primary caregiver. When left untreated, social anxiety can add stress to the family dynamic and negatively impact academic performance, quality of life, and happiness. At Cypress, we create individually tailored treatment plans to help children and teens manage their separation anxiety disorder. Using a combination of psychotherapy, family therapy, and play therapy (when applicable), we provide your child with the coping skills they need to decrease their feelings of fear, worry, and distress when they are away from their loved ones.
We understand how separation anxiety can impact your child and your family dynamic, and we don’t expect you to face these challenging times alone. The Cypress family consists of mental health professionals with a wide range of expertise and experience committed to helping you experience personal development and transformational growth.
Contact a member of our team to schedule your appointment today. We look forward to working with you.
