What ages do you treat school refusal / school avoidance for at the Center for CBT? 

Kids and Teens

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My child is really resistant to school. Will your school refusal treatment program work for them? 

The school refusal specialists at our practice have had a lot of success getting highly resistant kids back to school. Our school refusal treatment program is tailored to first uncover the reasons for a child’s avoidance and then provide practical, effective tools to both the parents and child to address the underlying anxiety and/or behavioral resistance. With a collaborative approach that empowers the entire family, students who struggle with school refusal tend to make significant progress (and parents often see improvements they may not have thought possible).

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What does the school avoidance treatment program at the Center for CBT entail? 

Treatment for school refusal is a structured, supportive approach tailored to address the specific reasons behind a child’s reluctance to attend school, whether anxiety-driven or rooted in behavioral resistance. For anxiety-based school refusal, we utilize cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), focusing on gradual exposure to school-related fears, teaching coping skills, and helping the child rebuild confidence. For behavioral school refusal, treatment includes helping parents with establishing effective positive reinforcement strategies for school attendance (and identifying / reducing counter-productive accommodations), as well as setting consistent boundaries. Treatment involves collaboration with parents, teachers, and mental health professionals to ensure that the child’s return to school is both manageable and sustainable, fostering a positive family dynamic and reducing conflict around school attendance.