Child psychology for anxiety
Anxiety in a child often looks like a stomach, a headache, a refusal at the gate — not a speech about worry. We name it, shrink the step, and keep the family inside the plan.
Written by the Inclusive Developmental and Therapy Center therapy team — our Speech & Language Therapist, psychology and ABA staff. This page is awaiting its clinical review.
How Salman works with worry
Name the feeling. Find the trigger. Practise a step small enough to succeed. Parents get a 7am script that is not a drag through the gate. Childhood anxiety, helping an anxious child, shy or anxious. Profile: Muhammad Salman Afzal.
When it is not “just worry”
Selective mutism, OCD, a medical symptom, a child who is not safe. We refer. He does not prescribe. Selective mutism, OCD.
Shy, introverted, or anxious
They are not the same. Start at shy or anxious. Condition page: anxiety in children.
Worry that runs the house
Name it before you fix it. Ten unhurried minutes after school to tell you everything stops it leaking into bedtime. Warn before you switch rooms. Protect sleep first — almost every childhood anxiety gets heavier on a short night. Printable: feelings chart, calm-down. Program: big feelings.
Shy is not the same as scared. Start at shy or anxious if you are sorting those. School refusal is this guide, then a consultation — waiting for Monday to get worse is not a plan. Owner Muhammad Salman Afzal leads this work.
The idea behind the work (in the books)
Name the feeling before you fix it. Worry gets a time slot. Sleep first.
Kendall — CBT for anxious children
One coping step between sessions, practised in the room. Cochrane found CBT beats a waiting list for childhood anxiety.
Bowlby — secure base at the door
A clingy goodbye is often about the base, not about school itself. We teach the goodbye as a skill.
What the research tells us
This isn’t just our opinion — it’s grounded in published research. Here are a few findings from trusted, independent sources:
A Cochrane review of 87 studies found that CBT for childhood anxiety leaves far more children free of their main anxiety diagnosis than a waiting list: around 49 in 100 after CBT, versus around 18 in 100 with no treatment (moderate-quality evidence).
— Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — James, Reardon, Soler, James and Creswell (2020), CD013162. View source
Take a worksheet home
Print one sheet. Fill it in this week. Bring it to the consultation — a consultation is Rs 1,500 and lasts up to 50 minutes.
Feelings chart
Name the feeling before you fix it.
Calm-down plan
A short sequence for after a flood, not a lecture in the middle of one.
Big-feelings program (PDF)
Worry gets a time slot.
Book a consultation
Contact owner Muhammad Salman Afzal first. No referral needed. A consultation is Rs 1,500 and lasts up to 50 minutes.
Anxiety — questions parents ask
Should I force the gate?
A daily drag usually makes tomorrow worse. We plan a graded return.
They are fine at school and melt at home.
Holding it together is expensive. Home is where the tank empties. That still counts.
Medication?
Paediatrician or psychiatrist. Psychology here does not prescribe.
How do we start?
A consultation is Rs 1,500 and lasts up to 50 minutes. Bring the week as it is, not the brave version.
Should we wait for them to grow out of it?
Some worry is ordinary. Worry that runs the house, wrecks sleep, or stops school is worth a look now.
Ask about anxiety
A short, friendly conversation is the best first step. Call, text or WhatsApp us — we’ll listen and guide you, with no pressure.
MPS Road, Block A Model Town, Multan (near Bloomfield Hall School, Street No. 2) · Mon–Fri, 2 PM – 6 PM