KIRU PSYCHOTHERAPY CLINIC
Therapy for
Child Anxiety
Your child learns to do the hard thing. You learn how to stop doing it for them.
We help kids (6-12) shrink their anxiety and grow their confidence, and we coach you so it keeps working at home. Meet with a child therapist in Newmarket, ON, or virtually across Ontario.
Kiru Psychotherapy Clinic
"Another Sunday night.
Another
stomachache."
Tomorrow is a school day, and you know the stomachache isn’t in the stomach. There’s the drop-off that ends in tears, the sleepover they wanted right up until the car door opened, and the midnight visitor who somehow ends up in your bed every night. You’ve tried the calm voice and the reward chart. Somewhere in there, parenting stopped feeling like your greatest joy and started feeling like your heaviest job.
We know:
Anxiety grows in whatever room you give it.
Every time your child skips the party or stays home from school, the worry gets a little bigger, and their confidence gets a little smaller. That’s how anxiety works.
Therapy for child anxiety teaches them to do the scary thing in small steps, and teaches you how to cheer them on instead of rescuing them.
Anxiety picked the fight. Let's win it.
Message us to get started.
Anxiety Therapy for Children | Newmarket & Virtual Across Ontario
How Therapy for Child Anxiety Can Help
Thoughts your child might be having:
“I don’t want to go, please don’t make me go.”
“What if something bad happens to you while I’m at school?”
“I’m fine.” (They’re not.)
And a few you might be carrying:
“It shouldn’t be this hard to get through a normal day.”
“I don’t know how to make this better, and that terrifies me.”
“I just want my kid to be a kid again.”
We hear you, and we hear them. Let’s give you both something to work with.
Meet Our Team
Match With a Child Therapist in Newmarket, ON
Each and every registered psychotherapist on our team trains on our model in-house before they see a client, so everyone shares a common vision. Choose the therapist who suits your child best, and we’ll take it from there.
Therapy for Child Anxiety | Newmarket & Virtual Across Ontario
What Anxiety Therapy for Children Helps With
Separation Anxiety
Drop-off tears and a kid who can’t be in the next room without checking. We build the confidence to say goodbye, and mean it.
Social Anxiety
Kids can be mean, and walking into a room full of them is terrifying. We help your child show up anyway, and enjoy it.
Generalized Anxiety
Worry about everything and nothing, all day long. We teach your child to spot a worry thought, question it, and put it down.
School-Related Anxiety
Sunday-night stomachaches, school refusal, and test-day blank pages. We get your child through the door and keep them there.
Performance Anxiety & Perfectionism
A kid who’d rather not try than get it wrong, and who’s started to doubt themself. We teach them that mistakes are survivable, and even useful.
Phobias & Specific Fears
The dark, dogs, needles, thunderstorms. Small from the outside, enormous from the inside. We shrink them, one step at a time.
Sleep Problems
Nightmares, stalling, and the nightly migration to your bed. We help your child fall asleep in their own bed and stay there.
Physical Complaints & Sensory Overwhelm
Headaches with no medical cause, or a kid flooded by noise and crowds. We teach them what their body’s saying and how to calm it.
Meltdowns & Big Feelings
Tears and outbursts from nowhere. We help kids regulate, and help you respond without adding fuel.
Family Stress
Managing anxiety all day strains everyone in the house. We coach you so the whole family gets some breathing room.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Adapted for Kids
CBT is the most well-researched treatment for childhood anxiety, and we don’t hand kids the adult version. We simplify it, make it playful, and turn it into tools your child can use at school, at bedtime, and at the party they almost didn’t go to.
Brave Steps, Not Big Leaps
Anxiety shrinks when kids face what scares them in small, planned steps, with support and a win at each one. We build the ladder with your child, and you learn how to hold it steady without climbing it for them.
Play, Drawing, & Storytelling
Kids this age don’t always have the words. That’s fine, because we don’t need them to. We use creative, age-appropriate approaches that let your child show us what’s going on without sitting in a chair explaining their feelings.
Parent Coaching
Parent support using psychoeducation so you understand what’s driving the anxiety, and attachment-based strategies so you can strengthen your relationship and respond in ways that build confidence. You do the work. Your child feels the shift.
A Plan With Clear Goals
You’ll know what we’re working on, why, and how we’ll know it’s working. Every session has a purpose, and you’ll leave each one with something to try before the week is out.
Therapy for Kids in Newmarket & Virtually Across Ontario
How We Treat Child Anxiety
We tailor every plan to your child’s age, temperament, and what’s already been tried.
Your kid's comeback starts here.
Skills for them, coaching for you, and a whole lot of “I did it!”
Our Approach
How Our Therapy for Child Anxiety Works
Step 1: Understand
We start with your child as a whole person, and the anxiety is one part of the picture. We look at what's driving it, how it shows up day to day, and what you've already tried, so we know exactly where we're starting.
Step 2: Equip
We work directly with your child using CBT strategies adapted for their age, simple, practical tools they can reach for when anxiety shows up at school, at bedtime, or in a room full of kids.
Step 3: Coach
We coach you alongside your child's sessions, using psychoeducation and attachment-based strategies, so you know how to support what we're building in the room. That's how the progress leaves the therapy room and moves in at home.
Therapy for Child Anxiety | Newmarket & Virtual Across Ontario
Therapy for Child Anxiety FAQs
How do I know if my child has anxiety, or if this is just a phase?
A phase passes on its own within a few weeks and doesn’t take over daily life. Anxiety sticks around, shows up in more than one place (school, sleep, friendships), and starts interfering with things your child used to do without a second thought. If you’re seeing stomachaches before school, meltdowns over small things, or a kid avoiding what they used to enjoy, and it’s been going on for more than a few weeks, that’s worth a free consult. We’ll help you figure out what’s going on.
What ages do you work with?
This page is for kids ages 6 to 12. If your child is 13 or older, head over to our Therapy for Teen Anxiety page. If you’re not sure your child is ready for therapy at all, Parent Support & Coaching is often the best place to start.
Will my child need medication?
Not necessarily. We’re not medical doctors, and we don’t prescribe. Our work is skills-based and practical, using CBT and parent coaching to help your child build real tools for managing anxiety, and many children see meaningful progress through therapy alone. Every child is different, though. If we ever felt medication might be worth exploring alongside therapy, we’d tell you openly and support you through the decision.
How is this different from talking to my child's school counsellor or pediatrician?
Both play an important role, and neither is set up to treat anxiety over time. A school counsellor is usually managing a large caseload and can offer support in the moment, but not consistent one-on-one child anxiety therapy. A pediatrician can rule out physical causes, and may not be trained to treat the anxiety itself.
We provide focused, weekly therapy built around your child’s anxiety, using CBT adapted for their age, plus parent coaching so the support continues at home. Think of us as the missing piece, working alongside the people already in your child’s corner.
What if my child won't talk about their feelings?
Kids often don’t have the words for what they’re feeling, so we don’t rely on words. We’re trained to work with children through play, drawing, storytelling, and other age-appropriate approaches that uncover what’s going on without your child ever having to sit down and explain it.
What if my child refuses to come to therapy?
You don’t need your child in the room for real change to happen. Parent coaching is a core part of how we work, and it’s often where the biggest shifts start. When you understand what’s driving your child’s anxiety and learn how to respond in ways that help, your child feels the difference, sometimes before they ever meet a therapist. Book a free consult, and we’ll map out a path that starts with you.
Do I sit in on my child's therapy sessions?
Sometimes, and it depends on your child’s age and what we’re working on. You’ll always have your own coaching time with the child therapist, so you know what your child is learning and how to back it up at home. Nobody gets sent to the waiting room to read old magazines.
Do you offer art therapy for child anxiety, or behavioural therapy?
We offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, adapted for kids. Drawing, play, and stories are tools inside that work, because that’s how kids this age communicate, and we’re not a formal art therapy practice. If you’ve been searching for behavioural therapy for child anxiety, CBT is the evidence-based version of exactly that, with the parent coaching most programs leave out.
How long does treatment take?
Every child is different, but research and our own experience point to a similar timeline. Most children and their parents start noticing a real difference within eight to twelve sessions. Some of that comes from the work we do with your child, and some comes from the coaching that helps you support it at home. You don’t have to wait years to see your kid feel like themself again.
Do you offer therapy for kids online, or do we need to come to Newmarket?
Both. If you’ve typed “anxiety therapy for child near me” into your phone at midnight, you’ve found us. See us in person at 75 Main St S in Newmarket, or online anywhere in Ontario. Virtual sessions work well for most kids in this age range, and plenty of families mix the two, in person when it helps and online when the week gets away from them. We’ll help you pick the right format on your free consult.
Have more questions? Ask us, even the awkward ones!
Therapy for Child Anxiety | Newmarket & Virtual Across Ontario
What Changes After Therapy for Child Anxiety
Over time, the families we work with often tell us:
- Their child walks into school without a meltdown at the door.
- They go to the sleepover, the birthday party, and the playdate, and anxiety doesn't get a vote.
- They fall asleep in their own bed and stay there through the night.
- They bounce back from a hard moment instead of spiralling into it.
- The phone rings during the school day, and nobody's heart stops.
- Their child has real tools to calm themself down, instead of relying only on a parent.
- They got their kid back, the one who wasn't afraid of everything.
- Parenting started feeling like their greatest joy again, and the burden lifted.
Kiru Psychotherapy Clinic
How To Get Started
Managing this alone is a full-time job. Let’s get you some support.
As Seen On
FREE GUIDE FOR PARENTS
You've tried everything, and your child is still anxious.
When your child is struggling with anxiety, it can be hard to know when to step in, when to step back, and what will actually help. This FREE GUIDE will help you better understand what’s driving their anxiety from as young as 6 up to 18, and what you can do to start building their confidence.
Visit Kiru Psychotherapy Clinic for Child Therapy in Newmarket, ON