Youth Services

Today’s young people face the same challenges as generations before them, such as peer pressure or changing family dynamics as they go through adolescence, but in our modern, hyper-connected world, these challenges can be magnified. Studies of trends in depression among young people are pointing to a significant increase in adolescents reporting at least one major depressive episode in a year’s time. Clinicians and school counselors also report a rise in levels of anxiety and depression that negatively affect behavior in school, at home, and with peers.

Where once a child’s or teen’s struggles may have been a relatively private matter, they can now become known to almost anyone via social media channels. The pressure to conform to societal or group norms is greater, and the failure to do so can have deeper, longer-lasting effects. It’s easier now to be a victim of bullying, or to bully others.

More than ever, all young people need positive coping, problem-solving, and communication skills. For children and teens who suffer from depression, anxiety, or anger or self-esteem issues, it is especially important to learn constructive ways to gain emotional strength and resilience.

How our Children’s Center can help.

At The Children’s Center for Psychiatry, Psychology, & Related Services, we offer a range of services designed to support the emotional and psychological needs of children and teens. Our therapists, treatments, and workshops can help young people better manage social, educational, and vocational issues.

We offer specialized treatment for two critical aspects of anxiety in young people:

Childhood Anxiety: Approximately 10 percent of children and teens suffer from some form of anxiety. Young people with generalized anxiety may experience anxiety attacks in response to their own or their family’s health, school issues, upcoming events, and more. Such anxiety can be excessive, and when it’s experienced during the majority of days within a six-month period, help should be sought.

Symptoms of generalized childhood anxiety can include fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances, trouble concentrating, and feeling restless or on edge.

Social Anxiety Disorder: This is the intense fear of being embarrassed or humiliated in a social situation. Sufferers of social anxiety may also fear speaking to others in public, using public restrooms, speaking with authority figures, or believing others are more competent.

Separation Anxiety: Some school-aged children experience separation anxiety following an extended time with a parent or loved one — such as after a summer break — or after an illness or emotional trauma.

Symptoms of separation anxiety can include clingy behavior, avoiding activities that may result in separation from major attachment figures, such as parents; fear of being alone; sleep disturbances; and physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea or vomiting.

Learn more about our youth services.

The therapists and counselors at The Children’s Center for Psychiatry, Psychology, & Related Services provide treatments that help educate young people on how to identify and change their anxious thoughts and teach mechanisms to cope with anxiety and depression. Contact us to learn more or to schedule a confidential assessment.