Counseling for Children, Teens, Adults and Families
Therapy Services for Anxiety
Are you or your child experiencing symptoms of anxiety? Below are some ways that anxiety symptoms often show up.
Anxiety symptoms in children include:
-
headaches
-
stomach aches
-
irritability
-
big reactions
-
rudeness to parents or siblings
-
difficulty falling or staying asleep
-
looking for reassurance
-
excessive fear or worries
-
avoiding certain situations or activities
In children anxiety might appear as physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches. Children might be super irritable, especially with parents when they are experiencing anxiety. It’s common for children with anxiety to do well at school, be well liked by teachers and peers and then come home and have big reactions to small situations. Children dealing with anxiety might cry, shout or act rudely to their parents and siblings. They often work so hard to keep it all together at school that they can no longer hold it together at home.
Sometimes a child experiences such high levels of anxiety that they have difficulty focusing at school. Their teacher might have to often redirect them and some kids feel they are constantly, "getting in trouble."
Some other signs of anxiety are: difficulty falling asleep or waking parents up in the middle of the night, not wanting to attend school, activities or friends’ homes. Children sometimes have a specific fear, like a fear of dogs or speaking in front of others. Some children are so afraid of being embarrassed or of failing that they stop taking healthy risks.
Adults often experience the following symptoms of anxiety
-
Sensations of a racing heart
-
Lightheadedness or dizziness
-
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
-
Irritability
-
Difficulty focusing
-
Muscle tension
-
Startling easily
-
Difficulty focusing
-
Feelings of fear or nervousness
It's common for adults experiencing anxiety to have physical symptoms such as lightheadedness or even chronic pain symptoms like migraines. Because anxiety symptoms can manifest as physical symptoms, adults don't always recognize that they are dealing with anxiety.
Whether you are an adult experiencing anxiety or a parent of a child with anxiety, we would love to help you have more peace in your life.
ABOUT LAUREN WOLFE MS, LPC
I love working as a licensed professional counselor and have had the pleasure of supporting children, teens and families for over 20 years! Here’s a little about me, how I came to be a therapist and how I work with my clients.
As a child I struggled with symptoms of anxiety that negatively affected my life. Back then (in the 1980’s) it was not common for children to receive counseling. Social and emotional learning were also not typically provided in school. I had no idea what anxiety symptoms were or that I was experiencing them until I took a psychology course in college. This understanding led me to find a therapist and receive counseling, which sparked my interest in psychology. I have learned a lot about anxiety and how to effectively treat it since then! I wish I knew then what I know now.
As a young adult I realized that I was easily able to connect with children and found working with them to be extremely rewarding. I later combined my love of working with kids and teens with my interest in psychology and made it my career to support families. This work has been extremely fulfilling and I am grateful for the individuals I have had the honor of supporting.
In my work with individuals and families, I use my own experience with anxiety as well as what I have learned from years of educational training and therapeutic work with my clients. I am passionate about helping children, teens and parents to reduce anxiety because I know what a relief it is to live without constant fear! Using creativity and lightheartedness, I strive to make the therapeutic process fun. And seeing my clients take healthy risks while feeling calmer and more confident is both rewarding and inspiring for me.
Some of the modalities I use include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure Response Prevention Therapy, Internal Family System and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT/Tapping).
I am certified in EFT by EFT International and am an Advanced Practitioner.
When not at work, I can be found teaching or practicing barre or yoga, reading on my Kindle or hanging with my husband, two young adult children or my two bossy dogs, Luigi and Snoopy.
ABOUT KAYLA DEFEO MS, LPCA
I believe that having a good, trusting connection with my clients is the starting point to help them in the growth they are looking to achieve. Whether working with adults or children, I use a combination of my counseling training, my experience working in residential facilities and my own life experience to help clients to reduce their anxiety symptoms.
I believe that anxiety is a normal and healthy emotion that sometimes gets too big. When this happens we begin to view the world through a lens of danger. Experiencing high levels of anxiety can cause all sorts of unpleasant symptoms. I enjoy teaching my clients how they can reduce their anxiety symptoms and live with more peace in their lives.
I enjoy working with adults and parents as well as working with kids and teens. I look for opportunities to incorporate art and play in counseling and draw upon a number of different therapy modalities to individualize treatment. Modalities I use include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure Response Prevention Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing.
Besides treating anxiety, I also have experience working with individuals dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), depression, trauma, addiction and children and adolescents with behavioral challenges.
When I’m not working, I can be found cooking Italian food, reading almost any book, gardening and spending quality time with my sweet feline’s Bruno and Theo.
RATES
Counseling:
$225 for initial visit - 60 min
$175 for 45-50 min counseling session
We do not participate directly with insurance. Many clients receive reimbursement from their out of network insurance benefits. I will provide an invoice with all the information needed for you to submit to your out of network insurance benefits for reimbursement.
CONTACT ME
Schedule a free 15-minute phone call with me.
Sessions are by appointment only.
PHONE
203-837-6270
ADDRESS
75 Glen Road
Suite G-03
Sandy Hook, CT 06482