School Avoidance
School avoidance is a difficult problem that can be extremely frustrating for children, teens, parents, families, and teachers alike. It is important to try to intervene with this issue as soon as possible. Failing to attend school can have both short and long-term consequences on a child's academic and emotional development.
To begin therapy to explore school avoidance, book with:
Amy Parsons
Dayirai Kapfunde (virtual only)
Kim Cardinal
Samantha LeBlanc
Understanding School Avoidance
It's normal for most kids to complain about going to school sometimes. But school avoidance refers to a persistent pattern of trying to avoid going to school or displaying immense anxiety around being in school.
Even if the child does go to school most days, they may be frequently late to class because they spend so much time protesting leaving the house or car. These children might cry, throw tantrums, try to lock themselves in their room, or threaten to hurt themselves.
They might do whatever it takes to get out of class, such as feigning sickness, trying to visit the school nurse, texting parents begging to leave, or just leaving altogether.
What Causes School Avoidance?
Social anxiety: Social anxiety often coincides with school avoidance. School is a breeding ground for many potentially stressful situations, such as speaking in front of a class, interacting with friends at lunch, or talking to teachers. A child who is prone to social anxiety may fear these situations so much that they want to avoid school entirely.
Depression: Depression can make it hard to find the motivation to do just about anything. Children with depression might protest going to school because the thought of sitting in class or socializing with others feels emotionally exhausting.
Academic-related stress: Concerns about taking tests or other academic-related tasks can lead to school refusal. This may also happen if kids feel immense pressure to get good grades. Avoiding the situation may feel better than facing it head-on. Children with learning disabilities may also be at a heightened risk for this kind of stress, especially if the learning disabilities are not yet diagnosed - or if they aren't receiving proper treatment.
Separation anxiety: Although this is common in younger children, children of all ages may refuse to go to school if they are worried about being apart from their caregiver. This can happen if they're worried about the caregiver getting harmed or ill in some way.
Stress at home: If home life is stressful, children might feel like they need to be at home to help other family members.
Bullying: Bullying is a rampant problem on school campuses, and if the bullying happens at school, it makes sense that a child would want to avoid going. They don't want to be vulnerable to ongoing abuse.
Changing schools: Changing schools (even when it's for the better) can be very stressful for kids. If your child hasn't made new friends or doesn't feel comfortable in the new setting, they might protest going to school.
How Does Therapy Help With School Avoidance?
School avoidance is a complex problem, and it's usually important to have family members and school personnel involved in the treatment. Early intervention is crucial; like with most phobias, the more someone avoids it, the more problematic it tends to become. If you're starting to notice more and more resistance, consider seeking help.
School avoidance is treatable, and therapy often entails compassionately exploring the underlying issues maintaining the refusal.
It's important to provide a safe environment where your child can safely express feelings and share concerns about school. Therapy offers that space - while also teaching healthy coping skills, building self-esteem, and practicing more distress tolerance.
Therapy for School Avoidance in Fort McMurray
How to Start Therapy for School Avoidance
Beginning therapy with Boreal Therapy Collective is easy and requires no referral. You can book your initial assessment here.
Understanding Length of Therapy and Treatment
Your first appointment will be 90-minutes long. For all future appointments, you can choose to book for 1 hour or 90-minutes. During your child’s first appointment, the therapist will meet with you and your child for a quick introduction. After this, the therapist will meet with your child one-on-one (don’t worry, if your child wants you to stay it’s okay). The therapist will ask your child questions to better understand their areas of struggle. This is known as an assessment. Depending on how much your child shares, the assessment phase can last anywhere from one to three appointments. The assessment is critical. It helps the therapist identify your child’s needs and develop an appropriate treatment plan. At the end of each appointment, you will be invited back to review of what occurred during the appointment (including any strategies to practice at home).
After the assessment is complete, treatment begins! In the treatment phase, your child will be introduced to a variety of skills to better manage the symptoms contributing to school avoidance. Most children will have a therapy session every two weeks, and we recommend this for optimal treatment. Effective therapy typically takes somewhere between six to twelve appointments (for some more, others less). Many choose to continue therapy once formal treatment is complete. This is referred to as maintenance. People who do this typically have an appointment once every six to eight weeks. This is not a requirement and is a matter of personal choice.
Therapy for School Avoidance at Boreal Therapy Collective
Where We Are Located
We’re located at 8530 Manning Avenue, Unit 104. You’ll find us in the Service Canada building (on the side of the building that faces the Clearwater River). To check out our space, click here.
Parking is located at the front and back of the building. The front parking lot is closer to us but tends to fill up quickly. There is also an empty dirt lot adjacent to our office that many use for parking. If you park at the back (where Service Canada is located), you can walk around the building to reach our office. To learn more about parking, click here.
Importantly, you do not need to be in town for treatment. We offer in-person and virtual therapy and our therapists are happy to provide whatever option works best for you!
Rates & Benefit Coverage
Initial assessments are billed at a rate of $300.00 for a 90-minute appointment. Follow-up sessions are billed at a rate of $200.00/hour or $300.00/90-minutes (you can choose your preferred appointment length when booking). We offer direct billing to 25+ benefit providers. With your consent, we will always direct bill first. If we are unable to direct bill, you can pay via email money transfer or credit card. You will be given a receipt once payment has been collected. For more information, click here.
