Ask the Child Therapist Episode 57: Social Anxiety in Teens: How Parents Can Help

Ask the Child Therapist Episode 57: Social Anxiety in Teens: How Parents Can Help

Maybe they are talking about me. Maybe they don’t like me. Maybe they are just being nice to me because they pity me. Maybe I don’t want to go to that party. Maybe I don’t want to talk in class. Maybe I’ll just stay home. Again. Social anxiety is never fun, but social anxiety in teens can not only be overwhelming, but can be completely depressing.

So as a parent watching this train wreck – how are you supposed to help? For starters, telling them to just go out there and make some more friends isn’t going to help. Here is what can…

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Signs of Selective Mutism: When It Isn’t Just Shyness

Signs of Selective Mutism: When It Isn’t Just Shyness

The lady at the cash register smiles at your daughter. You think to yourself, “please don’t try to talk to her. Please just scan the next item.” But all your internal pleading falls on deaf ears. “What’s your name sweetie?” the checker asks in your daughter’s direction. Your daughter stares at the lady with big brown eyes. She blinks once, she blinks twice. There is a visual stare down that seems to last forever. And then there is the awkward silence that always follows. You’ve been here before. Maybe not in line 3 at the local grocery store, but yes, you know exactly how this is going to play out before it even begins.

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