Hypnosis for School Refusal

Hypnotherapy can change your childs mind about school
Formerly known as school phobia and in some instances classified as separation anxiety, 'refusal' refers to when a child will refuse to go to school or will refuse to stay in class or stay in school all day as a result of anxiety.  The anxiety may be social anxiety, separation anxiety, general anxiety or related to feelings of panic or the fear of a previous panic attack recurring.

There is assistance available to families via mental health plans if you visit your GP you can get a referral which will mean you get 6 sessions with a psychologist covered.  Headspace also offer programs.
These programs are helpful to a lot of kids in overcoming their anxiety, however some kids find they are still struggling and still feeling stuck when their sessions have been exhausted.
So why Hypnosis? 
For some kids talking therapy just doesn't shift the feeling of anxiety and the anticipation that something bad will happen if they go to school, whether it's being judged by their peers, failing academically, being humiliated or bullied, or being seen having a panic attack.
Hypnosis can help by exploring the physical experience of anxiety as well as the emotional, and then using the imagination to create a different experience that's more acceptable to the individual and more appropriate to the situation their intending to face.

How will Hypnotherapy help with School Refusal?

Studies show that Hypnosis is particularly effective with children and adolescents.  In fact extensive research has been carried out on hypnosis for children with medical and surgical problems, emotional and behavioural disorders and learning and school related issue.  In 1988 the University of Columbia conducted a case study into the use of hypnosis for kids feeling too anxious to go to school . The study found that after 6 sessions of hypnosis that anxiety levels were significantly reduced and that the child was able to return full time to school. This study provided both clinical and statistical evidence for the effectiveness of hypnosis in helping children overcome that anxiety that results in kids refusing to go to  school  in order to return to school. The study indicated that hypnosis not only helped the child overcome the debilitating anxiety but it also improved their confidence and self-esteem.
How many sessions of Hypnotherapy will it take?
It's impossible to give an definitive answer to that, I recommend a minimum of 3 sessions, ideally 6.  However all children are different as are the root causes and circumstance that the child is living in so the number of sessions will vary.
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Some tips you may find helpful if your child is  refusing to go to school

1. Try to get an understanding from their perspective of what's going on for them
2. If they have physical symptoms get it checked out by your GP
3. Don't lecture and nag 
4. Stay open minded 
5. Don't make staying home too appealing
6. Create a routine for learning at home
7. Talk to the school and let them know what's going on , get work from them to keep your child up to date as much as possible.
8. Find out what resources are available to you for help in getting your child back to school e.g. here in Australia you could discuss with your GP and/or call Headspace for advice on the services available.  A mental health plan will provide some therapy that is subsidised by medicare, unfortunately Hypnotherapy is not covered by medicare.  Some private health funds will provide a rebate for Hypnotherapy as long as the therapist has a provider number (I do).

Overcome school refusal and learn what else you can master!