Exposure therapy for
school avoidance
Oftentimes, school avoidance and refusal is anxiety. Our therapists can help dive into this and explore just what about school is difficult, and come up with a plan tailored to your needs to overcome it.
Therapists who can work with you
Reading the live directory…Signs this is the problem
- Stomach aches and headaches that clear by mid-morning at home
- Mounting distress on Sunday night, negotiations at the school gate
- Weeks turning into terms, and the return getting harder each time
- Parents caught between forcing it and giving in
School phobia and school avoidance
- Driving to the school car park and sitting there for ten minutes
- One lesson, then the morning, then the day
- Registration in the main hall rather than the office side door
- Lunch in the canteen rather than the library
The Myths and Misconceptions of Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy sounds awful. It's usually the last thing any of us ever want to consider doing. The truth is, the word "exposure" is often misused, and exposure therapy is one of the most highly effective and researched treatments for anxiety, and it's not as scary or awful as it sounds.
Fear is a natural response in the brain, and keeps us safe in many cases. However, our fear response can become 'out of balance' and start impacting the quality of our life. Exposure is about practicing, in small, incremental steps, facing our fear to recalibrate this balance.
You don't have to do things actually dangerous. You don't have to 'like' the thing you are afraid of. There are no tricks, traps, or surprises. Exposure works best when you have a plan and you work through it.
Contamination OCD · weeks 1–6
Where exposure therapy is available today
Exposure therapy can be hard to find. Our mission is to make effective, evidence-based exposure therapies accessible to all. Our map updates in real time as new providers join and our coverage increases. You can help by sharing this page and inviting any therapists that would be a good fit.
Other conditions in the directory
Connect with Motivated Clients. Support Their Recovery with Guided Digital Exposure.
Listing in the Find Exposure Therapy directory is free. We offer a separate tool that improves the efficacy and adherence of exposure treatment by providing real-time adaptive exposure on a catalog of content.
Connect with clients who are ready or already starting on exposure practice and looking for support.
Create your free profilePre-built hierarchies, curated exposure content, homework tracking - improve treatment adherence, reduce drop outs, and save time with Bia's provider portal.
Invite a therapist
Know someone who does real exposure work? Invite them to join the directory.