In recent months there has been a lot of media focus around emotionally based school avoidance or simply – children who are out of school. Sadly, most coverage has made it the responsibility of the parent – not trying hard enough, lack of discipline, laziness.
As a parent who has been through this struggle, I understand how frustrating this is to hear and how wrong these accusations are. I have not met one single parent in this position who could be accused of the same. Of course, there are always a few exceptions, but on the whole, these are parents of anxious children who are struggling to cope in the school environment. Regularly faced with fines and court appearances on the one hand and a child who is struggling on the other, things quickly can start to break down.
How can I help?
I often work with children who are experiencing anxiety which is holding them back from attending school or extracurricular activities regularly. In some of these cases, once the anxiety is lifted, the child can resume accessing school. However, sometimes this is not enough. Sometimes the anxiety is school-based, often referred to as Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA).
When a parent reaches out, I will always explain that my priority is to lift the anxiety but if this doesn’t help the child back into school, I will not convince or force a child as others may, as this can create trauma. In these instances, I will also look at the school environment, and what changes or reasonable adjustments are needed to support attendance. This could include other assessments or additional funding applications (EHCP). You may be surprised at the adjustments that can be made!
As I found out the hard way, there is a huge lack of support and information for families in this position and it can be a very lonely place and an even harder journey to navigate. Because of this, I will always strive to support and be there as long as I am needed.
#EBSA #childrensanxiety #schoolavoidance #schoolattendance #EBSAsupport #hypnotherapy #anxietyhelp
