Anxiety

Anxiety Counselling

Fear, shyness or worry is a natural feeling in children when exposed to new or unfamiliar conditions. But when these feelings become severe and repetitive, often interfering with their daily life, it could mean they suffer from anxiety.

Childhood anxiety treatment helps kids learn how to manage these big feelings and build the confidence to face new experiences with bravery.

Understanding Anxiety in Children

Anxiety isn’t just feeling nervous—it can be a full-body experience for children. It might show up as tummy aches, trouble sleeping, sudden outbursts, or avoiding activities they once loved. Anxiety can take many forms, including separation anxiety, social anxiety, school refusal, and phobias, and while it’s a normal part of development, excessive anxiety can make daily life feel overwhelming.

Did you know? Anxiety is the most common mental health challenge in children, with around 1 in 7 Australian children experiencing it in a way that impacts their well-being.

The good news? With pediatric anxiety treatment and getting the right support from our child anxiety specialist in Melbourne, children can overcome these nervous obstacles and face new life experiences with more confidence.

Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety

Children will not come to you and say, “I’m feeling anxious.” Their anxiety might show up in ways that aren’t immediately obvious, including physical symptoms and behavioural signs.

Physical symptoms: stomach aches, nausea, headaches, dizziness, sweating, or a racing heart, chest pains.
Sleep difficulties: trouble falling asleep, frequent nightmares, or waking up feeling restless
Avoidance behaviours: reluctance to go to school, social events, or unfamiliar places
Emotional signs: frequent worry, irritability, crying easily, or feeling overwhelmed
Perfectionism: distress over small mistakes or reluctance to try new things for fear of failure
Repetitive reassurance-seeking: asking the same questions over and over (“Are you sure I’ll be okay?”)
Separation anxiety: extreme distress when apart from parents or caregivers
Fight, flight, or freeze responses: meltdowns, running away from situations, or ‘shutting down’ when faced with stress
Sensory sensitivity: heightened responses to loud noises, textures, or unexpected changes

How We Can Help

At Brave Little Heroes Psychology Hub, we provide anxiety counselling and use fun, engaging, evidence-based strategies to help children understand and manage anxiety. Our approach includes:

With the right childhood anxiety treatment, anxious kids can discover their inner bravery and learn that they are stronger than their worries.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Helping kids recognise and challenge unhelpful thoughts, replacing them with empowering ones.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

a values based, strengths based approach that helps children develop psychological flexibility by learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings rather than fighting them.

Gradual exposure therapy

Supporting children to face fears in small, manageable steps to build confidence.

Mindfulness and grounding techniques

Teaching children calming strategies to regulate emotions in the moment.

Parent coaching and support

Equipping parents with practical tools to reinforce progress at home.

Creative interventions

Play-based and strengths-focused strategies tailored to each child’s needs.

Eye Movement Desensitisation (EMDR)

Where fears have been triggered by a particularly distressing event, EMDR can help children process and reframe the distressing memories associated with their anxieties.

Anxiety

Anxiety Counselling

Understanding Anxiety in Children

Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety

How We Can Help

Encouraging Children to Be Brave in Little Moments

We provide your child with counselling and therapy to help manage their anxiety and help them lead a confident life.

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