School Refusal Therapy

School refusal can be described as a child refusing to go to school full-time or at all.  According to latest government figures, school refusal has increased by 50% since COVID (DeE, 2023).   There can be several reasons for this.

Reasons for School Refusal

Individuals who are ASD, ADHD, ADD or OCD suffer from higher anxiety levels than the general population. Therefore, anxiety around being in school is quite common.   Indeed anxieties can include social anxiety, fear of having a panic attack, fear of being sick (emetophobia), or seeing someone else be sick.  Some children may struggle with smells, noise and lights.

Children may suffer from low confidence, low self-esteem, and bullying. All of the latter can result in a child not wanting to attend school.

Starting high school can be the first time a child refuses to go to school. They may have moved from Having to attend a much bigger, nosier school can feel very frightening.  Younger children may worry about getting lost or even making friends.

Can hypnotherapy help?

Children and young people may struggle to verbalise their difficulties. This is where hypnotherapy can help.  Solution-focused hypnotherapy is not a talking therapy and the trained child therapist can ask appropriate questions that require only a nod or shake of the head in the pre-trance talk. This enables the hypnotherapist to prepare a bespoke session to increase confidence and reduce anxiety. Hypnosis is a fantastic way to practice feeling and thinking confidently.   The benefits will be even more enhanced if the sessions are recorded for the child to listen to for several weeks, enabling more long-term change and neuroplasticity.