ryan conway

By: Ryan Ruth Conway, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist, NESCA

Deciding to enroll your child in mental health treatment is a big step in and of itself. Before initiating the process, there is often a trial and error period of interventions to improve the situation, whether at home or in school, and then coming to terms with the fact that they might not be enough to sufficiently address your child’s needs. Finding the right therapy and therapist match for your child can also prove challenging. Not only are there numerous therapeutic approaches available, but there are also varying levels of care depending on the severity of your child’s symptoms and amount of support he or she requires. This ranges from once weekly outpatient therapy to day treatment programs to inpatient hospitalizations for more acute psychiatric issues that may require crisis stabilization (i.e., suicidality, self-harm, etc.)

One type of treatment that has garnered considerable empirical support for treating youth anxiety and depression (conditions we regularly treat at NESCA) is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT focuses on the intersection between our thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations and behaviors. The goal of CBT is to better manage overall emotional distress and reduce physiological symptoms by changing negative thoughts or unhelpful thinking patterns, ineffective coping strategies, and maladaptive behaviors that might be reinforcing uncomfortable feelings. CBT aims to teach children and their parents new, adaptive coping skills while providing opportunities both in and between sessions to practice these skills. CBT is a short-term, targeted treatment that promotes “approach” behaviors (as opposed to “avoidance”) through “exposures,” or exercises designed to practice facing fears gradually, in a safe environment. CBT might also include learning mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance; techniques that have been shown to enhance treatment outcomes.

While some youth make progress in meeting with a therapist once per week, others benefit from a condensed, “intensive” format where they receive CBT treatment daily and over a shorter period of time. The accelerated nature of these types of programs, offered in both outpatient and hospital-based settings, allows for quicker acquisition of strategies, substantial exposure practice, and generalization of newly learned skills to other settings in a child’s life. Think of it as a crash-course in CBT.

You may want to consider an intensive therapy program for your child if: 

• Your child’s symptoms are greatly interfering with his or her life, such as attending school or school performance, family life, and friendships.
• Your child has tried different therapies in the past but there has been minimal carryover from session to session and/or you haven’t noticed much progress overall.
• Your child is experiencing distress but other commitments during the school year have hindered attending therapy on a consistent basis, making school breaks or the summer an ideal time to work on it.

At NESCA, we are pleased to offer a highly specialized and immersive therapy experience through our 2-Week Summer Intensive CBT Program for anxiety. We work with children and adolescents who present with all types of anxiety, including generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, specific fears (e.g., dog phobia, vomit phobia, etc.) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

What does NESCA’s 2-Week Summer Intensive Program consist of? 

• Intake evaluation – A meeting is held with the child and parents to gain a comprehensive understanding of the child, provide an assessment of symptoms and discuss goals for treatment, all of which will inform the treatment plan.
• 1:1 therapy sessions – Individual CBT therapy sessions with the child or teen are conducted 5 days/week for 90 minutes. Homework will also be assigned between therapy sessions to reinforce skills learned.
• Parent involvement – Parent participation is vital in treating childhood anxiety. Parent sessions are held 5 days/week for 30 minutes. During these meetings, parents will be educated about their child’s anxiety, receive progress updates and also acquire tools to better support their child. Parents might also be asked to help children practice the new skills they are learning.
• Discharge planning – Families will be assisted in determining follow up support that will be helpful in order to maintain treatment gains.
• Treatment summary – Following the conclusion of the program, families will receive a written summary that reviews the course of treatment, progress made and discharge recommendations.

There are circumstances in which the frequency, duration and/or structure of the program can be modified to best fit your child’s needs.

For more information about NESCA’s Summer Intensive CBT Program or to find out if the program is appropriate for your child, please contact Dr. Ryan Ruth Conway at (617) 658-9831 or rconway@nesca-newton.com.

Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA) is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton, Massachusetts, Plainville, Massachusetts, and Londonderry, New Hampshire, serving clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.