Anxiety Therapy for Children: NYC & Online

Central Park Psychology Group, led by Dr. Johanna Berger, is a team of psychologists who specialize in diagnosing and treating Anxiety Disorders in children and adolescents. We treat a range of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobias, panic disorder and panic attacks, social anxiety disorder, selective mutism, and separation anxiety. We also specialize in treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in children. We also treat coexisting concerns, including ADHD, low self-esteem, perfectionism, and social skill deficits.

 

Our approach as anxiety therapists is compassionate and solution-focused. We utilize a strength-based approach. Specifically, we will address your child’s challenges, while focusing on improving their confidence and building on their strengths.

 

Is your child often worried or fearful? Does he have an intense fear of dogs, bugs, flying, or another object/situation? Does your child have an extremely hard time being separated from you, making it difficult for her to stay with relatives or go to summer camp? Does your child worry excessively about giving class presentations and experience physical symptoms (for example, dizziness, headaches, sweating, trembling, or heart pounding) when speaking in front of people? We are here to address your concerns and help your child.

 

People often don't realize that, in addition to problems that raise serious concerns, psychologists also treat problems that are mild or moderate in severity. Even if your child doesn't reach the full criteria for an anxiety disorder, they may experience symptoms that hinder your quality of life. Maybe you've noticed that your child is avoiding her peers and you aren't sure why. We are available to teach them skills, including skills that can help with interpersonal difficulties, managing anxiety effectively, and addressing unhelpful thinking patterns or behaviors. Please click here for more guidance.

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We are intensively trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), an evidence-based psychological treatment proven effective at addressing a wide range of problems, including anxiety disorders. CBT works by focusing on the relationship between your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. As your anxiety therapists, we will help your child identify and change your unhelpful thinking and behavioral patterns. We will teach them tools to manage their anxiety.

 

To facilitate change, parents are actively involved in treatment. A parent's commitment to learning new techniques is often instrumental to making long-lasting change. We provide parent training, including Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and parent management training (PMT). As your family's anxiety therapists, we'll help you learn skills that foster a more harmonious home environment.

 

When appropriate, treatment may also include components of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), including mindfulness training and acceptance work. We also specialize in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), an anxiety therapy approach proven effective at treating phobias and OCD.

 

Anxiety therapy will include homework, which is regularly assigned between sessions. By practicing skills learned in session, your child will reach their goals as quickly as possible.

Anxiety may affect all aspects of your child’s life. Our holistic approach will address your child’s anxiety, along with maladaptive sleep, exercise, and eating habits. As your anxiety therapists, we will help your child learn to manage their anxiety and learn skills to improve their quality of life. We will support parents in making changes that help the entire family.

 

We know how debilitating anxiety can be and are here to help. We provide anxiety therapy to teens and children located in New York and New Jersey using telehealth. We also offer anxiety therapy in our NYC office on the Upper West Side.

 

We understand that you may still be unsure if your child needs therapy. Often in life, taking the first step on a new path brings feelings of uncertainty. That's understandable. We offer a free phone consultation and will gladly do our best to answer any questions. If we believe another psychologist can better assist your family, we will give you a referral. We're here to help.

 

Please email us to learn more. We look forward to hearing from you.