Davidson Child Anxiety Counseling

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Davidson Child Anxiety Counseling

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Hi, I'm Katie Lear, counselor and founder of Davidson Child Anxiety Counseling. We help kids and teens live confidently with anxiety and OCD.

Based in Davidson, NC; virtual therapy available throughout NC, NY, and FL.

10/25/2026

Depending on the circumstances, you may hear a lot or a little about what goes on in your child’s therapy sessions. Your child’s age, their specific concerns, and your therapist’s style will have a lot to do with what is shared and what isn’t. However, what you’re told about your child’s therapy should probably be more than nothing and less than everything.

Ask your potential therapist if they plan to meet with your child alone, or if they’d prefer to have everyone meet together. There’s no wrong answer; it just helps to know what to expect. You should also know how you’ll be kept in the loop about how therapy is going. Some therapists may send home weekly reports, while others will schedule periodic parent sessions to talk about progress and goals.

In general, the younger your child is, the more involved you need to be in their therapy in order to see good results. Young children need their parents' help to regulate their feelings, so coping skills only work if you’re there to help. On the other hand, all kids need some element of privacy in order to feel comfortable sharing in therapy. The older your child is, the more personal space they are likely to need.

No matter your child’s age, you should expect to have some information about how therapy is going, what your goals are, and what you can be doing to help. Also, you can always expect to be told if your therapist suspects that your child could be in a dangerous situation or is at risk of hurting themselves or others.

10/24/2026

Teens with PTSD may feel very hopeless about ever recovering, but PTSD is not a life sentence. People can and do recover from trauma, and our understanding of how to help people with trauma gets better all the time. Today, several therapies exist specifically to help teenagers who are struggling with PTSD.

🧠 TF-CBT is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that was designed for people with PTSD ages 3-18. It helps teenagers to understand their symptoms, learn ways to cope with strong feelings, and feel more comfortable telling their own story without being bothered by flashbacks or memories.

🧠 DBT helps teenagers who are dealing with rapidly shifting moods, urges to self-harm, difficulty with family and friends, and risky or impulsive behavior like drug use or disordered eating. Many people who struggle with these kinds of symptoms are trauma survivors. DBT can help teens learn coping skills, keep themselves safe from self-harm, and learn to tolerate strong negative emotions without losing control or becoming overwhelmed.

10/18/2026

Sometimes, your first talk or visit with a child therapist might feel a little like a job interview. And it kind of is! You’re getting to know the therapist and how they work, and the therapist is getting to know you and your needs. It might feel awkward to ask questions about your therapist’s expertise or approach: what if you decide afterward that you need to see someone else?

Please know that we want to find the right therapist for your child almost as much as you do. We aren’t going to take it personally if you ask a hard question, or decide you need to move in a different direction to find your child help. It feels amazing to be able to find someone the exact kind of help they need, even if that means they need to go elsewhere. We think we speak for most therapists when we say that working with a child we’re not equipped to help is a bummer. We don’t want that for us, and we don’t want that for you!

So, go right ahead and ask the questions you need to ask. You can even ask us to recommend other therapists to you. It’s not a weird request; most therapists will be happy to oblige!

10/17/2026

Here are a few signs specific to teenagers that parents can look out for following a trauma if they’re worried about PTSD:

➡️ Feeling numb: We hear this one so often from teenagers with PTSD. Teens often tell us that the absence of any emotions is harder for them to deal with than anxiety or depression. Teens may also have a hard time feeling connected or close to other people after a trauma.

➡️ Low self-esteem: The persistent low mood and negative outlook on life that comes with PTSD can lead to teenagers feeling bad, worthless, or guilty. Perhaps because teens are vulnerable to low self-esteem anyway, this symptom seems to be common amongst adolescents.

➡️ Extreme irritability: All teens get angry and mouth off to their parents, but teens with PTSD may have outbursts that are on a whole other level. This is because PTSD causes hyperarousal, meaning a teen’s nervous system is very sensitive and quickly shifts into fight-or-flight mode, which can prompt intense anxiety or anger as well as aggression.

➡️ Dropping grades: People with PTSD have a hard time focusing, absorbing information, and remembering things. It’s hard to learn when you’re constantly on edge. This can result in a sudden, unexplained drop in grades for teenagers following a trauma, and school difficulties that might resemble ADHD.

➡️ Drug and alcohol abuse: Many people turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with the overwhelming symptoms of trauma, and this may be especially true for teens. A study of teens with substance use disorder found that 70% had previously experienced a trauma. Using drugs and alcohol might also make teens more vulnerable to trauma in the first place, since they may be more prone to taking risks while under the influence.

➡️ Suicidal thoughts: Teenagers with PTSD have higher rates of su***de than other young people. The prolonged depression, low self-esteem, and hopelessness of PTSD, paired with increased impulsive behavior, puts teenagers at risk. While not all of these teens will go on to actually attempt su***de, any thoughts or suicidal behaviors should be taken extremely seriously.

10/11/2026

Reach out to the therapists who interest you, and see what their protocol is. Some may be happy to offer a consultation with you over the phone, while others may invite you into the office for a full intake session. Some therapists may charge for this service, while others don’t. Whether by phone or in person, it’s helpful to have a fairly in-depth conversation with a new therapist before your child’s first session.

While doing your research, you’ll probably find therapists with all sorts of titles beside their names, including psychologists, counselors, and psychiatrists. You might also see people who specialize in particular types of therapy, like play therapists or drama therapists. You can read more about the differences between types of therapists here to see who might be the best fit for your family. You can also check out my blogs on play therapy and drama therapy to learn more about how those approaches help kids.

If possible, set up appointments to talk to at least a couple different therapists. It’s okay to shop around a little bit before making a commitment to begin therapy. Even the most amazing therapist isn’t going to be the right fit for every child or family. Interviewing multiple people makes it more likely you’ll click with someone.

10/10/2026

Teenagers can and do develop PTSD. There is even some evidence that teenagers are more likely than adults to develop PTSD following a trauma. Research from the National Institute of Mental Health has shown that about 5% of American teenagers have PTSD, and about 1.5% of those teens are severely affected and impaired by their trauma symptoms. This is higher than the 3.5% of American adults who are diagnosed with PTSD each year.

It is important to know that teen girls are more at risk of PTSD than teen boys, with up to 8% of girls being affected. To us, this seems like an incredibly high number! Amazingly, though, many more young people undergo trauma every year but do not go on to struggle with long-term PTSD symptoms. Nearly half of all U.S. teens will have experienced at least one traumatic event by the time they reach 18 compared with the 5% who go on to develop PTSD.

10/09/2026

You take a seat in the therapy office—or log on to your video conferencing platform at the appointed time—to meet your child’s new potential therapist. Maybe this isn’t your first rodeo seeking therapy for your child, and you’re wondering if this counselor will have the help you need. Or, maybe it is your first visit, and you’re feeling a little overwhelmed about where to start. Either way, finding a counselor for your child is a big step, and you probably have a lot of questions to ask.

It’s really important to find a therapist who is the right fit for your child. All of us—whether we’re 9 or 99—will heal the best when we’re working with a counselor we like and trust. You don’t always have to see eye to eye, but you do need to feel safe talking to them. It also helps to find someone who truly specializes in the problems bringing you to therapy. So, how do you figure out if you’ve found a good fit? We’ll be going over 5 questions you can bring up in your initial visit with a new therapist to learn more about what to expect.

09/27/2026

Many sensitive kids fare better when they have a predictable schedule. Children feel safe when they know what’s coming next, so a set routine can calm your sensitive child’s nerves. Consistent boundaries can also help children with strong feelings to better regulate their feelings. This doesn’t mean you have to be harsh or strict—just that you generally stick to your word. Just like a predictable routine, predictable rules help children feel more secure.

Sometimes, despite everyone’s best efforts, kids need a little extra help. We tell families that a child doesn’t need to have a serious problem in order to benefit from counseling. There’s probably a time in every person’s life when having somebody to talk to can make a difficult phase pass by a little more easily.

If your sensitive kiddo could use some strategies for dealing with strong emotions, check out our online coping skills courses for kids. They’re available at-home, on demand, wherever you live. Worry-Free Tweens, our course for kids ages 8-12, could be a good bet if your child’s sensitivity leads to anxiety.

A child counselor can also help your child better understand her strong feelings. In therapy, highly sensitive kids can learn how to cope with the day-to-day situations that lead to stress. They can also learn ways to self-soothe and deal with overpowering feelings when they happen. Our hope is that kids and parents leave our office recognizing how cool it is to have strong feelings!
Find out more at the link in our bio.

09/26/2026

Some traumatic events are common across all age groups, but other trauma experiences more frequently affect teenagers than other age groups. Any time a teenager is at risk of serious harm, or witnesses a loved one being put at risk, they are likely to experience a traumatic event. Trauma experiences are so intense that they overwhelm our brain and body’s ability to cope in the moment. Interpersonal trauma—trauma that was inflicted on one person by another—is more likely to cause lingering symptoms. Trauma also has a cumulative effect, and the more traumatic experiences a teen has survived, the more likely they may be to develop PTSD.

09/20/2026

Coping skills are an essential part of a highly sensitive child’s toolkit. Because their powerful emotions can easily lead to overwhelm, these kids need to learn healthy ways to channel their strong feelings, so they don’t turn into panic or tantrums. You can support your child by practicing mindfulness or relaxation skills at home to soothe anxiety. Physical activity, art, and journaling are other helpful outlets for strong emotions.

Address

706 Northeast Drive Ste 1
Davidson, NC
28036

Telephone

+17049812591

Website

http://www.childanxietycounseling.com/

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