School refusal due to anxiety

Anxiety, avoidance and/or refusal to attend school can have significant short- and long-term effects on social, emotional, and educational development for children and adolescents. Treating these issues requires a collaborative approach that includes the student, school staff, parents, and mental health professionals. Linden Oaks Behavioral Health is here to help.

Group therapy for adolescents and children 8+

Linden Oaks Behavioral Health offers two levels of care for adolescent anxiety services: Intensive Outpatient Program and Partial Hospitalization Program. Our treatment approach is in a group format that occurs Monday through Friday for 3-6 hours per day. In addition, there are weekly individual and family sessions. It is designed to help adolescents and children learn to manage and regulate intense emotions while assisting in reducing anxiety in various situations. Our goal is to help improve their daily functioning and cultivate a meaningful life.

The program is designed to help adolescents and children manage symptoms related to school anxiety. They may be struggling in the follow areas: 

  • Severe anxiety about attending school
  • Struggling to stay in the classroom and going to the nurse or student services often
  • Anxiety-related physical sensations, such as panic attacks, stomachaches, headaches, shaking or crying
  • Distress when asked to participate in classroom activities  
  • Difficulties separating from parents
  • Fear that something bad will happen at school

Program features

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Exposure therapy
  • Medication management
  • 3-6 hours group therapy focusing on skills education and application
  • Weekly individual sessions focusing on goals and progress
  • Weekly family sessions focusing on psychoeducation, answering common questions such as “how do I help my child when they are struggling?” and “How do I help my child get to school?”
  • School transition: This consists of a collaboration with the child’s school, a scheduled meeting with the school support staff to help create an action plan to assist in the transition back to school 
  • Tutoring services during the school year

Children and adolescents may be referred by parents, schools, therapists or physicians, or may simply walk in for a confidential one-on-one assessment.

Clinical professionals and educators - read more about how to make a referral.

Linden Oaks locations