Anxiety Treatment for Children, Teens, and Young Adults
Anxiety in children and teens responds strongly to cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure — a structured approach in which a young person gradually and deliberately faces what they've been avoiding, with support. Reassurance and avoidance feel helpful in the moment but tend to make anxiety worse over time. EBPC provides CBT and exposure-based treatment for anxiety in Calabasas and via telehealth across California.
What anxiety looks like in children and teens
Frequent worry about things that haven't happened yet
Physical complaints — stomachaches, headaches — especially on school mornings
Constant reassurance-seeking
Avoiding activities, invitations, or situations they used to manage
Difficulty separating from parents
Trouble falling asleep because their mind won't stop
Perfectionism, or distress over small mistakes
Irritability and anger, which in children is frequently anxiety in disguise
What does treatment involve?
Understanding patterns of avoidance and how reassurance keep anxiety going. Therapy for anxiety generally follows these common steps:
Building tolerance — physiological calming skills, and cognitive strategies for evaluating worried thinking realistically.
Exposure — the core of treatment. Approaching feared situations gradually and repeatedly, in a planned sequence, until they stop being threatening. Exposures are collaborative; nothing happens by surprise.
Parent work — parents often accommodate anxiety in ways that maintain it. Reducing accommodation is one of the most effective available levers, and for some families SPACE is a good fit on its own. Learn more here.
How long does treatment take?
Many young people with focused anxiety difficulties see substantial improvement within three to five months of weekly treatment. More complex or long-standing presentations take longer. We track symptoms with standardized measures so progress is visible rather than assumed.
-
Exposure is graduated and collaborative. Distress typically rises briefly and then falls, and that falling is the mechanism of change.
-
Parent-based treatment (SPACE) is designed for this situation. Learn more about options for working with parents to tackle kids’ anxiety here.
-
CBT treatments for anxiety are related to treatment for OCD but distinct in important ways. OCD is treated with a specific form of exposure called ERP. Learn more here.
-
Yes. School refusal is usually anxiety-driven and responds to structured return plans developed with the family and school.
Dr. Kiff also has written resources for parents to help address anxiety around going to and staying at school. Find out more here.
Frequently Asked Questions
