When children aren't feeling well, this can be expressed in many different ways. When they're feeling overwhelmed or discouraged, they may demonstrate big and loud behaviors, changes in sleep or eating patterns, or withdraw. Sometimes when they're feeling nervous or anxious they might avoid things or refuse to follow directions. Kids aren’t always good at letting us know how they feel and as parents sometimes these situations feel confusing and we may struggle to know how to respond. The clinicians at Green Leaf can help you and your child understand what's going on and what to do about it. At Green Leaf our clinicians work with both kids and parents to build awareness, communication strategies, and a plan for how to respond in the moment. We use a cognitive and behavioral approach. Children learn how to think about situations differently and what behaviors they can engage in that will be most helpful. We work with the family so caregivers and loved ones understand what is going on and know how to provide wrap-around support for healing.

At Green Leaf we know that anxiety doesn't get better by avoiding it or making ourselves safe. We teach our kids how to be brave and tolerate fear and anxiety so kids can do the things that they find valuable and meaningful. Often we use CBT, specifically exposure and response prevention (ERP) strategies to build bravery. This approach takes a step-by-step to overcoming fears!