Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders Program at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital

Our Tests, Treatments and Therapies 

Getting Started

Before beginning therapy, our program staff conducts a thorough evaluation of each child or adolescent. This evaluation includes assessing physical symptoms, specific areas of anxiety and other behaviors and symptoms to determine the best treatment.

How We Will Help

Our compassionate staff offers practical services based on existing research to help reduce anxiety-related behaviors.

Therapeutic approaches

• Individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Skills training
• Parent skill training and family therapy
• Expressive therapy
• Spirituality group

Interventions

• Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to help change thought processes and reduce the anxiety your child or adolescent is experiencing
• Exposure and response prevention therapy helps your child face his or her fears and learn strategies to manage them
• Coping skills training to eliminate avoidance behaviors and reassurance seeking
• Medication education to describe the role of medication in the treatment process
• Modified School Programming to work with the school to assist the student in a gradual return to classes and full time education

Family Systems

Family involvement is vital to successful treatment of anxiety in children and adolescents. Our comprehensive model encompasses a wide range of interventions that involve parents and family members as you learn:

• Effective use of discipline
• How to establish and maintain healthy boundaries
• Reward and consequence techniques
• Assessing and negotiating appropriate behavior between parents and children

Training sessions are held weekly to help parents build the relational and communication skills they need to meet the challenges at home. These skill development sessions are individualized to meet each family's needs and are practical for immediate application in the evening during the program and beyond. Skill sets include:

• Effective listening
• Relationship enhancement, including building respect for authority
• Recognizing patterns that contribute to unhealthy behavior
• Verbal interaction and appropriate verbal responses to help develop healthy communication

At the conclusion of the program, support groups, aftercare, medication management, and individual or family therapy are available to help sustain the changes made during treatment.