School avoidance and anxiety are intricate challenges that necessitate a collective approach, uniting the child, family, school, and mental health professionals. In my experience, triumph is rarely accomplished without this joint effort.
The Emotional Toll of School Avoidance
School avoidance is an emotionally laden issue that can inflict significant distress on all parties involved. Parents often vacillate between feelings of confusion and frustration. One day everything appears fine, the next it’s in chaos. We might find ourselves exclaiming, ‘We’ve been through this!’, ‘You went yesterday’, ‘What’s the problem now?’ (expressing frustration rather than seeking the problem), ‘I need to get to work’, ‘Stop playing around. You are being selfish’, ‘This is unacceptable’, ‘If you don’t get in the car, I’m going to have to drag you kicking and screaming’. The guilt...