CHILD THERAPY | ANXIETY
When worry starts to run the day
Therapy for children with anxiety in Newport Beach, Orange County
Anxiety Therapy for Children Ages 5–12 and Their Parents in Newport Beach, California
Every child worries. What brings parents to us is worry that has started to shape the day: a stomachache every school morning, tears at drop-off, questions that reassurance never settles, a child who now avoids the birthday party, the sleepover or the classroom. Often the family has quietly reorganized itself around the fear, and everyone is tired.
Childhood anxiety is one of the most treatable problems we see. With the right help, children learn that they can face what frightens them, and parents learn how to guide them through it rather than around it.
At OC Psychology Center, children with anxiety are seen by child and family psychologists and therapists in our private Newport Beach office. Families come to us from Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa and across Orange County.
Signs of Anxiety in Children
Anxiety in children often looks different from anxiety in adults. It can show up in the body, in behavior, or as irritability that is easy to mistake for defiance or ADHD.
Several of these signs overlap with ADHD, depression and learning differences. Telling them apart is the first step in helping.
Persistent worry, or frequent “what if” questions
Stomachaches or headaches without a medical cause
Difficulty separating at school or bedtime
Avoiding school, activities or friends
Meltdowns or anger when facing a fear
Trouble falling asleep, or nightmares
Perfectionism, or fear of making mistakes
Repeated need for reassurance
Common forms of childhood anxiety
We treat generalized anxiety and chronic worry, separation anxiety, school refusal, social anxiety, specific fears and phobias, panic, obsessive worries and rituals, and anxiety that follows a frightening event, a loss or a family change.
Why anxiety grows
Anxiety tends to grow through a simple cycle. A child feels afraid of something, such as school after an embarrassing moment. Avoiding it brings immediate relief. That relief teaches the child that the situation was dangerous and that avoidance kept them safe, so the fear is stronger the next time.
Loving parents are often drawn into the cycle without meaning to be: answering the same question again, letting a child stay home, staying until they fall asleep. These responses ease distress in the moment and are completely understandable. Over time, they can also keep the fear in place. Therapy helps a family step out of the cycle together.
Read more: The 5 A’s of Childhood Anxiety
How we treat childhood anxiety
We begin by trying to understand your child: not only what they fear, but what the fear may be holding. A child’s anxiety often carries something they cannot yet put into words, such as a change at home, a worry about a friendship, or a sense of not being good enough. Through play, drawing and conversation, children show us what is hard for them, and in a steady, consistent relationship with their therapist, they begin to find words for it.
Alongside this, we use well-researched techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy to help children calm their body and approach what they fear in steps small enough to succeed. Techniques give a child ways to manage anxiety today. Understanding helps the change hold as they grow.
Parents are central. We meet with you regularly and give you specific ways to respond at home: how to reassure without feeding the worry, how to encourage brave steps, and how to stay steady when your child is upset.
As therapy progresses, children learn to:
Put their feelings into words
Understand what their worry is about
Calm their body and face fears step by step
Return to school, friends and activities with more confidence
See what child therapy looks like at OC Psychology Center
When an evaluation helps
Sometimes anxiety is not the whole picture. A child who avoids homework may be anxious, may have ADHD, or may be struggling with a learning difference that makes school feel threatening. When the cause is unclear, a psychological evaluation or psychoeducational evaluation can sort it out, so treatment is aimed at the right problem.
Who you’ll work with
Our practice is led by Dr. Aaron Montgomery, Psy.D., a licensed psychologist with more than 15 years of experience with children, adolescents and parents.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Fears and worries are a normal part of growing up. It is worth a closer look when anxiety lasts more than a few weeks, keeps your child from school, friends or activities, or leaves the family arranging daily life around it. A consultation can help you decide.
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Usually a combination: temperament, family history, stressful or frightening experiences, and the avoidance cycle that keeps fear in place. Anxiety is not caused by bad parenting, and parents are often the most important part of the solution.
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There is no fixed timeline. Some children feel relief within a few months; many benefit from longer work, which gives the changes time to take root as they grow. We review progress with you regularly and decide together how to continue.
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Yes. School refusal is one of the most common reasons families call us about anxiety. We work with your child and with you, and, with your permission, can coordinate with the school on a gradual return.
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Many children with anxiety do well with therapy alone. If medication might help, we will discuss it with you and coordinate with your pediatrician or a child psychiatrist.
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Yes. For ages 13 to 18, see therapy for teen anxiety.
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Therapy is private pay. On request, we provide a superbill you may submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement. See Fees & Insurance
CONTACT US
Request a Child Therapy Consultation
Choose a time on our calendar for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation. We’ll listen to what’s going on and talk through how we can help.
Prefer to leave a voicemail or text?
OUR OFFICE
In Newport Beach, close to home.
We provide counseling and psychological assessment in Newport Beach from our private office in Koll Center Newport, where Newport Beach meets Irvine and Costa Mesa. Many of the families we work with come from Irvine and nearby communities, and online sessions are available throughout California.
We’re five minutes from UCI & John Wayne Airport, with easy access from the 405, 73 and 55, and free visitor parking.
OC Psychology Center
4000 MacArthur Blvd - East Tower, Suite 600
Newport Beach, CA 92660