Seeking Mom's with Experience with ANXIOUS Child

First of all you should check out your states health insurance program. http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/healthplan/app_benefits/ohp4u.s... No child needs to be without insurance, more people qualify than they realize, and its usually free.

I think you have gotten some great advise already and if she is in school talk to her counciler. Good luck with this, and I hope you can get your poor daughter some help soon, I can't imagaine how hard it must be for a little one to feel so scared all the time!.

Look into your local University Programs, Aren't you close to OHSU? They may have several different child development or social service programs to look into.
When my son was 2 and we were having issues with him, I took him to the U of O child development program for an evaluations and that is how i got my start for our quest for defining his developmental disabilities and help on receiving state financial supports.
I was exactly at your position at that time and if it wasn't for the university and their free programs i don't know what we would have done.
good luck let me know how things are going. I care!!

I may have some resources. Will research and get back to you.
Ok here is what I was able to find. HOpe this is helpful.

Not sure about sliding scale clinics but they should contact Children's Hospital for ideas.

Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation
###-###-####
www.ocfoundation.org

Up & Down The Worry Hill, Aureen Pinto Wagner, and Ph.D.
Paperback, 35 pages, Lighthouse Press Inc., New Jersey, 2000.
Designed for parents or professionals and children to read together. It offers the chance to engage in an open discussion about the disorder and help prepare the child to engage in treatment.

Blink, Blink, Clop, Clop: Why Do We Do Things We Can’t Stop? An OCD Storybook
E. Katia Moritz, Ph.D. and Jennifer Jablonsky
Paperback, 61 pages, Genesis Direct, New Jersey, 1998. A description of OCD and its most common symptoms, using animals as main characters.

Also, "How I ran OCD off of my Land" by John March
Helping Your Anxious Child: A Step-By-Step Guide for Parents (Paperback)
by Sue Spence (Author), Vanessa Cobham (Author), A. Wignall (Author), Ronald M. Rapee (Editor)

Talking Back to OCD: The Program That Helps Kids and Teens Say "No Way" -- and Parents Say "Way to Go" by John S. March (Paperback - Dec 27, 2006)

What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD
By Dawn Huebner, PhD

In seattle, pioneer square kinds of areas have low cost clinics

ADDITIONAL ANXIETY RESOURCES:
Some people may find these resources of use:
1) Anxiety Disorders Association of America:
Website: http://www.adaa.org/
2) Website: www.anxieties.com
3) Book: Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic Client Workbook by Barlow
4) Book: Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Bourne

Hi my name is A.. I have a daughter that just turned 6 in January, and she started having anxiety January of last year I have seen several counselors and doctors and they say she has seperation anxiety. She is always worried about everything. Scared of her own shadow. I myself also have anxiety problems and have learned to deal with them on my own without medication. I hoped that my children never had to feel the pain that i have to go throught with this nasty disorder. All i can say is to hold her and tell her that it will be ok and let her know that you will always be there whenever she feel like she doesnt have contol. It scares me when i see her freak out like that and all i want to do is cry and hold her. I feel your pain and frustration. You dont have any insurance at all?? Thats a hard one i dont know where you live but COmpass health is where i take my daughter and they are very goo with her. If you have any more questions my e mail is ____@____.com care
A.

I don't have any specific advice. But I would check with your school district and see if they have services which can help.

I knew a family who had a girl about the same age as your daughter and she was diagnosed with and even hospitalized with an anxiety disorder. I didn't know the girl herself and don't know how she was acting. I was surprised that someone so young could be that anxious. I do know that anxiety disorders are caused in part by the make up of ones brain and it's reaction to the presence of or lack of certain chemicals. I take meds for anxiety and depression. I don't know if they give children meds.

Now to your question about how to get help since you don't have insurance. I don't know if OHSU has a program but it's worth checking out. I do know that Pacific University in Forest Grove has a counseling office in downtown Portland. They use it to train students. My adult daughter went there and found it helpful. The therapists have completed all the book study and are now doing what is called a practicum. Most of them are older, in their 40's or so.

However, I have perhaps a better suggestion. Federal Law requires that schools provide for the needs of all children so that they can be successful in school. Multnomah Co Education Service District has been set up to provide diagnosis and treatment. Since you're in Beaverton it would be Washington Co Education Service District And there is no charge.

My daughter took her 3 yo son there because he hadn't started to talk and they have been a big help. In addition to speech therapy he is in a Head Start classroom half days and a social worker is providing play therapy and helping my daughter to learn how to help him.

You might have to be insistent with them to get help because emotional issues are more difficult to diagnose. Not speaking is obvious and so my daughter had no difficulty at all getting started.

There is quite a bit of information about the program on the Internet. I don't have the web site written down. I queried Education Service Districts, IEP which stands for Individual Eduacation Plan, perhaps I started just with education or special education. If you don't find the sites let me know and I'll look them up.

I would like to ask if you are feeling more anxious and if that may have triggered your daughter's anxiety. Or if anything different has happened that, even tho it seems insignificant to you, it triggered the anxiety. If so perhaps you could bring up the situation.

It might help for you to just listen to your daughter without trying to make it better. My daughter who as an adult was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder said that I tried too hard to help her understand and to make suggestions when all she wanted was for me to listen and empathize.

It does sound like you are spending a lot of time with her and talking about the anxiety. Have you tried doing fun things to take her mind off of her worries? Go to a movie, rent a movie, arrange play dates, go to the zoo, to the library. The library has wonderful kids programs.

I know that doing something besides talking about my anxiety helps me get myself back up. And I've read that when parents pay too much attention to some things, thinking that we're helping, that we are really unconsiously giving them the message that they are helpless.

Your description does sound to me like she has a serious problem with anxiety which does need to be evaluated by a professional. There are services out there but they are hard to find. There is an information and referral line in Portland too. I think it's 411. It's listed in the front of the phone book. They might be helpful.

I empathize with you. Anxiety is so difficult to live with. M.

My son doesn't have an anxiety disorder where he worries and has racing thoughts like your daughter, but he does have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sometimes he behaves stubborn, rigid, and defensive (which can be a challenge) because of the intense anxiety welling up inside of him even over things that will not hurt him. It's very important for me to establish trust and understanding in him, in order to gain cooperation. The more he experiences "challenges" that are a little uncomfortable for him, but not unsafe or hurtful, the less ridged he is becoming. The typical kid usually requires a little verbal encouragement and coaxing to overcome "digging their heals in" over an issue. They may be a little timid or afraid, but it's fairly easy to encourage them. But, with anxiety, it can be very defeating to try typical tactics like "talking" and encouraging. It almost seems like they don't hear you or get what you're saying when you say that everything is going to be OK. The words just don't matter. What matters for my son is actual experience and the confidence he gains when he demonstrates self-control, tolerance, and consequently.... accomplishment.

Honestly, I tried on my own to gently guide my son through "challenges" and I did my best to help him learn to go with the flow through daily activities that would trigger his anxiety. But, I really needed help. Right now he goes to Occupational Therapy at the Children's Guild (Easter Seals). The occupational therapist has been very helpful to him and I. She does activities and excercizes with him that are a little uncomfortable for him and cause a little anxiety (like swinging in a cacoon swing). At first he ran away just by looking at the swing and hid in a all of the corners of the therapy room. When she tried to coax him out, he'd scratch, hit, bite... but, after some time in therapy and accomplishing triumph over other challenges, he made a decision one day to get in the swing. This kind of "actual experience" has given him confidence in himself that when I pose a challenge at home, he knows how to take a deep breathe and handle it. He's learned how to cooperate with things that he doesn't want to do, such as brush his teeth (which is uncomfortable for him). He even demonstrates more self control now when simply told "NO". He doesn't spiral out of control into a melt down of anxiety, not knowing what to do with himself.

I suggest you check into occupational therapy. If talking her through things, and even teaching her anxiety management things like "self talk", deep breathing, and relaxing, don't work, she may need something more like "actual experience" to gain confidence in herself, a sense of self control over her body and emotions, and a history experience having overcome simple challenges during therapy.

Hope this helps, YM