Child and Teen Anxiety Therapy in Calgary

Anxiety is a difficult world to live in and takes up a large amount of mental energy due to repetitive worries and ruminating thoughts. Children who live with consistent anxiety often struggle with low self-esteem, anger issues, behavioural issues, and emotion and body regulation struggles. Anxiety can feel like a thunderstorm inside your child — sudden, overwhelming, and hard to explain. At Creative Sky, we help kids and teens learn how to calm the storm, build confidence, and step back into their world with courage.

Expert Calgary Psychologists for Anxiety in Children and Teens

Our team includes psychologists with years of experience helping kids, teens, and families navigate anxiety. We draw on research-backed therapies and customize support to each child’s unique personality and worry profile.

Our Calgary psychologists use:

  • Play-based therapy to help children express worries non-verbally

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for kids and teens

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for older youth

  • Creative tools like art, storytelling, and role play

  • Emotion regulation and body-based calming techniques

  • Parent coaching to stop anxious cycles at home

When Worry Feels Like a Storm — We Help Kids Find Calm Again

Anxiety can take over a child’s world like a thunderstorm—loud, sudden, and hard to explain. You might see it in sleepless nights, big meltdowns, stomachaches before school, or endless “what ifs.” Underneath it all is a child who’s trying to stay safe in a world that feels too big, too fast, or too uncertain.

At Creative Sky Psychology in Calgary, we specialize in helping children and teens calm the storm inside. Through age-appropriate, evidence-based therapy, we teach kids how to face fears, manage emotions, and step forward with courage.

What Anxiety Looks Like in Kids and Teens

Anxiety doesn’t always look like “worry.” You may notice

  • School refusal or panic about separation

  • Perfectionism or fear of failure

  • Constant reassurance-seeking

  • Irritability, meltdowns, or avoidance

  • Tummy aches, headaches, or panic symptoms

  • Nightmares or difficulty falling asleep

  • Overthinking or “what if” spirals

  • Some children seem clingy or rigid. Others hide anxiety under high achievement. Early support helps prevent symptoms from escalating into depression, low self-esteem, emotion regulation challenges, or long-term avoidance.

    Anxiety is also commonly linked with OCD, ADHD, perfectionism, and depression—which is why our Calgary child psychologists take time to understand the whole picture before creating a plan.

How We Tailor Support by Age

Preschoolers (Ages 3–5)

We use routines, play therapy, and attachment-based strategies to reduce clinginess, separation anxiety, and bedtime fears. Parents are supported with tools to reduce over-accommodation and increase felt safety.

School-Age Children (Ages 6–12)

Kids learn to name anxious thoughts, use coping tools, and address common struggles like test anxiety, phobias, and perfectionism. CBT and play-based strategies help build flexible thinking and brave behavior.

Teens (Ages 13+)

We support teens facing social anxiety, panic attacks, identity-related stress, or burnout from high expectations. Through CBT, ACT, narrative therapy, and creative techniques, teens gain tools for emotional regulation and resilience.

We work closely with parents when appropriate and provide:

  • Therapy for parenting a child with anxiety

  • Tools to respond to meltdowns or avoidance

  • Insight into your child’s brain and behavior

  • Support with school collaboration (IPP accommodations, etc.)

Therapy isn’t just for your child — it’s support for your whole family system.

Parent Guidance: You Don’t Have to Handle This Alone

The Creative Sky Difference

Child Psychologists in Calgary that Specialize in Anxiety and Anxiety related Disorders

  • Specialized child psychologists who focus exclusively on kids and teens

  • Warm, neurodiversity-affirming care that builds trust

  • Evidence-based therapy with room for creativity and play

  • A team approach that includes parents, schools, and other providers

  • Practical, age-appropriate tools for daily life — not just talk therapy

Our child and teen psychologists are experienced, trusted, and grounded in current best practices for the treatment of anxiety and anxiety related disorders. We also follow guidelines set by the Canadian Psychological Association and draw on tools endorsed by Anxiety Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most research-backed treatments for anxiety in kids and teens. It helps reframe anxious thoughts and reduce avoidance. Other helpful therapies include exposure therapy, emotion-focused therapy, mindfulness-based CBT, and creative approaches like art and play therapy. The best approach depends on your child’s age, needs, and personality. 

  • Validate their feelings without reinforcing the fear (“I know this is hard, and I believe you can handle it”), create predictable routines, avoid over-reassurance, and model calm coping strategies yourself. Limit pressure and focus on progress, not perfection. Our Calgary therapists also work closely with parents to build confidence and connection at home.

  • Yes. Anxiety in neurodivergent children often shows up as meltdowns, rigid routines, aggression, or shutdowns—not always as verbalized worry. It can also stem from sensory sensitivities or social challenges. We offer neurodiversity-affirming anxiety therapy that tailors tools to your child’s learning style and emotional profile.

  • Some children and teens start to feel relief after a few sessions, while others need several months to build trust and integrate new skills. On average, 8–16 sessions can lead to significant improvement, but it depends on the severity of the anxiety and whether there are co-occurring challenges like ADHD or trauma. Our psychologists in Calgary provide ongoing progress check-ins and flexible pacing.

  • Anxiety can look different depending on age. In younger children, signs may include frequent stomachaches, clinginess, sleep issues, and avoidance of school or social situations. Teens might experience panic attacks, constant worrying, irritability, perfectionism, or withdrawing from friends and activities. If anxiety is interfering with daily life, it’s worth speaking to a Calgary child psychologist who specializes in anxiety therapy.

  • It’s normal for children to feel nervous sometimes. But if the anxiety is persistent, seems out of proportion, or is impacting your child’s sleep, school performance, social life, or mood, it may be more than typical worry. A registered child psychologist can help you assess whether your child could benefit from anxiety treatment or support.

  • Anxiety can stem from a mix of genetic, environmental, and developmental factors. Some children are naturally more sensitive or perfectionistic. Others develop anxiety due to stressful life events, school pressure, family conflict, or health concerns. Neurodiverse children (e.g., with ADHD or ASD) may also experience anxiety in unique ways. At Creative Sky Psychology, we consider the whole child when creating an anxiety therapy plan.

  • Anxiety therapy helps children name and understand their anxious thoughts, learn calming tools, and feel more in control of their reactions. We use play-based strategies with younger children and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure work, and mindfulness with older kids and teens. Therapy builds coping skills, self-trust, and emotional resilience over time.