Treating Phobias in Children: How to Reduce Anxiety Attacks in Adolescents and Teens

Phobias, anxiety attacks, and anxious behavior are increasing in children and adolescents – but the good news is that there are quick, effective therapy treatments.

Childhood Phobias Lead to Anxious Behavior in Adulthood

“Children who are not cured of their phobias run a great risk of developing other areas of anxiety later on,” says Lena Reuterskiöld, of The Swedish Research Council.

“It’s therefore important to find effective forms of treatment that can reduce this risk.” She explains that certain one-session therapy treatment sessions are effective for various types of phobias.

The Research on Treating Phobias in Children

Reuterskiöld’s research involved children and adolescents with various specific phobias in Stockholm, Sweden, and in Virginia in the United States. The treatment studied was a “one-session treatment” that was three hours long.

This phobia research showed that 55% of children who voluntarily signed up for this phobia treatment successfully overcame their anxiety attacks.

This phobia treatment for children is accomplished in one session with a therapist. It isn’t expensive (but the cost may flucuate with different psychologists or counselors). Unlike anxiety medication, this one-session therapy treatment for adolescents doesn’t have side effects. Further, it’s not associated with a specific culture, so doesn’t need to be changed to fit a certain country or region.

In the session, a child slowly approaches whatever he/she is afraid of (alongside the therapist). This safe, controlled environment helps reduce anxiety attacks and feelings of fear. After the therapist interacts with the object of fear, the child is encouraged to do the same.

The theory behind this phobia for children is that they’ll experience decreased anxiety, and learn that what they most fear will not occur (in psychology, this is exposure therapy or systematic desensitization). To reduce anxious behavior, it’s important for children to spend an extended amount of time with the object they fear.

One-Session Therapy Treatment Works for Adults With Phobias

“One-session treatments have also proven to be effective over time,” says Reuterskiöld. “Adults who have been treated with this method notice the effects of the treatment more than a year after the session. And nothing indicates that the effect would taper off sooner in children, which we assume will soon be confirmed by a follow-up study.”

One session treatments for children with different types of phobias can be an effective way to reduce anxiety attacks and anxious behavior in adolescents.

Aug 12, 2009 4:42 PM

jud Friedman :

hi laurie :) - my 13-year-old son has a serious bird phobia. we live in los angeles but he is afraid to go to the beach because of seagulls, and he will run away if a bird crosses his path. in general he is pretty anxious (gets afraid of noises outside the house, etc.) i am very interested in both the "one session therapy" approach you described in this article, as well as any other possible solution to michael's issues, particularly the bird phobia. do you have any suggestions as to whom i might contact for help, particularly in the los angeles area, or if not, someone who might be able to help me find someone in this area? thank you so much and best, jud friedman

Aug 13, 2009 6:32 AM

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen :

Hi Jud,

Thanks for being here, and I'm sorry about your son's struggle. It's such a baffling fear for both the person with the phobia, and the people around them! Luckily, most phobias are highly treatable.

I don't personally know of any psychologists or therapists who treat phobias in the Los Angeles area, but I have a few suggestions for you:

- ask your doctor or pediatrician for a referral to a local phobia treatment center

- ask your child's parents, and your friends and family if they've had any experience with overcoming phobias, and if they saw a psychologist (the best way to find the right counselor is to get a personal referral -- as you know, because that's what you're trying to do!)

- contact a support group for phobias, such as the Los Angeles OCD and Anxiety Groups for Children and Adolescents

And, I suggest you contact these organizations (you can Google them for more info):

- The OCD Center of Los Angeles (they also have a list of phobia support groups on their website -- it's a very informative site)

- The Anxiety and Panic Disorder Center of Los Angeles

- The Anxiety Disorders Program at UCLA

- The Anxiety Disorders Association of America (and ask for therapists who treat childhood phobias in Los Angeles)

I don't know if the phobia therapists in LA will know of the one-session treatment that I wrote about in the above article about treating phobias in children. That was a recent research study in Virginia and Sweden, and I don't know how widespread it is yet.

Good luck, Jud, and I hope your son finds the right treatment soon. Remember, phobias CAN be treated very successfully!

Let me know how it goes....

Laurie