My son is in year 9, but has never attended school properly. He has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression with phobic tendencies (his phobias are wind, rain and storms). He has been attending CFCS for 2 years, who arranged home tuition throughout year 8, but have only ever provided counselling. I am now very worried as he heads towards his GCSE years that if I don't get this problem sorted soon, he will not be able to attend properly in years 10 and 11. I have privately booked him in for some CBT session and am just wondering if I am heading down the right path. I would be very grateful if anybody else has any experience of CBT helping their child. I have been told today by my son's head of year that the EWO want to prosecute, yet I have done absolutely everything possible to get him to attend school.

Many thanks

Anne

With regards to CBT i can't recommend it enough. You may or may not have read through previous threads, but my son like many others here has suffered for years with multiple daily panic attacks - he thinks he is having a heart attack, the world is ending the moon is too close it's too windy was the latest one. We have been having CBT for 4 weeks, and are in our second week of NO panic attacks, and last week with the psychiatric nurse who takes his sessions he even walked around the school grounds ( he was up until the cbt aggrophobic ) I was very sceptical about it but it has worked wonders. My son is year 10 and to be honest will never make it back into main stream school, and to be honest i don't think i can run the risk again of him going backwards after all this time.
Are you under CAMHS - and do you have a diagnosis of anxiety ? My EWO said if we have the diagnosis then they would not proceed with legal action, a diagnosis i have in triplicate.

Please let me know at what stage you are at, and how long as the EWO been involved ?

I know you are all making these stories up as I have been told they have never come across another school refuser - I have the only one ( apologies for the sarcasm )

Keep posting

Sarah xx

Hi Anne,

As you'll notice from past threads - I am a great supporter of CBT from personal experience as well as all the reading I have done on SR and anxiety/phobias etc. My son has been able to move forward with the CB therapy. i also feel that the age your son is at - he will take more in on the CB therapy as it will start to make sense. My son is still a bit young to see the value. His teachers, however, said there was a distinct improvement in his attitude towards school when he did attend. So I can't recommend it highly enough. I think you are certainly going down the right road. I agree with Sarah - you need to make sure you have that diagnosis of anxiety so that you can keep the authorities at bay and also gain the support and help that you need. You are not alone - there are many of us out here- let us know how you go - keep in touch.
Linda

Thank you so much both of you for your replies and support. It is good to know we are heading in the right direction. Yes, Alex has had an diagnosis of anxiety and depression, with phobic tendencies. We are under CAMHS, which is why he has been receiving counselling at the CFCS, but no CBT from them. His case is up for review tomorrow, but in the meantime, he is having a private course of CBT. He actually went in this morning, after much persuasion and help from 2 school friends, who were so kind to him. My Mum is now on her way to collect him as I have had a call from the school, he rarely does a full day. Thanks again for your help.

Anne