Child and adolescent psychology

Children rarely say "I have anxiety". They say their stomach hurts in the morning, that they don't want to go to school, that they can't sleep alone. In teenagers the signal is often an abrupt change: grades collapsing, friends disappearing, a permanently closed door.

Common reasons: separation anxiety, school refusal, bullying, grief, parental divorce, or a transition into adolescence that went badly. In teenagers, social anxiety, body image and — increasingly — the relationship with screens are added.

A group specific to Moldova: children raised by grandparents, with one or both parents abroad. Their distress is real and often silent — the good children, the ones who cause no trouble, are exactly the ones who reach help late.

You don't need a diagnosis to book. If something has changed and it has lasted more than a month, it's worth an assessment.

The format depends heavily on age. Under 12, the work is largely with the parents: a small child doesn't have the language for classical therapy, and the most effective intervention is changing how the adults around them respond. The therapist may work through play, drawing and story, in shorter sessions — 30-40 minutes.

Over 12-13, the adolescent gets their own space, with their own confidentiality. That is a condition, not a preference: a teenager who knows everything they say goes home says nothing. Parents receive updates on direction and on what they can do, not transcripts. The exception — risk to safety — is explained openly to everyone at the start.

The first session is often with the parents alone, for history. Then the child or adolescent, then a plan that almost always includes something to do at home.