🙅 Parent Guide for School Refusal and Anxiety 🙅

To Do: 

• Acknowledge that their fear is real: "I know school feels really scary right now."

• Express confidence in their ability to cope: "I believe you can handle this, even when it's hard."

• Maintain the expectation of attendance: "We're going to work together to get you back to school."

To Avoid: 

• Dismiss or minimize their feelings: "You're fine, stop being dramatic."

• Allow repeated absences without a plan for return

• Make staying home more rewarding than going to school

Strategies: 

• Practice replacing anxious thoughts with positive affirmations: "No one likes me" becomes "I am an important part of my school!" 

• Pick one or two coping strategies to practice and use at school: deep breaths, grounding, writing a note that your child can keep at their desk. 

• Let your child's counselor know that they are struggling. 

Source: Blackbird Health