عيادة اضطرابات القلق لدى الأطفال

توفر عيادة اضطرابات القلق لدى الأطفال في مايو كلينك علاجًا طبيًا ونفسيًا متقدمًا وقائمًا على الأدلة للأشخاص المصابين باضطرابات القلق، بما في ذلك:

• اضطراب الهلع.
• اضطراب الوسواس القهري.
• الرُّهَاب الاجتماعي.
• اضطراب القلق العام.
• قلق الانفصال.
• الرُّهَاب المعين.

خدمات العيادات الخارجية

تقدم عيادة اضطرابات القلق لدى الأطفال في مايو كلينك ثلاث خدمات أساسية:

• التشخيص.
• العلاج في العيادات الخارجية.
• خدمات العلاج المكثف.

عيادة التشخيص

تقدم عيادة التشخيص تقييمًا شاملاً ليوم واحد إلى الأطفال والمراهقين المصابين بقلق شديد ومخاوف وتوتر واضطراب. ويُجري موظفو العيادة تقييمًا شاملاً للمريض ويقدمون التشخيص والتوصيات العلاجية بطريقة فعالة من حيث الوقت. وتُستخدم المقابلات التشخيصية المنظمة والاستبيانات والمقابلات السريرية في عملية التقييم.

تضم العيادة اختصاصي علم نفس سريري للأطفال والمراهقين وطبيبًا نفسيًا متخصصَين في اضطرابات القلق. ويتيح ذلك فهمًا طبيًا ونفسيًا متكاملاً للأعراض لدى الطفل.

علاج قلق الأطفال في العيادات الخارجية

يتوفر العلاج السلوكي المعرفي وإدارة الدواء في العيادات الخارجية. ويتكون العلاج النفسي في المقام الأول من العلاج السلوكي المعرفي القائم على التعرض للمواقف. ويعلم هذا العلاج الأطفال المهارات اللازمة للسيطرة على قلقهم، ويعلم الآباء والأمهات طرقًا لتقديم الدعم الفعال إليهم.

وبتطبيق هذه الأدوات، يمكن للطفل والمعالج وضع قائمة بالمواقف التي تسبب شعور الطفل بالقلق. وبمساعدة المعالج، يتمكن الطفل بعد ذلك من مواجهة هذه المخاوف تدريجيًا وتعلم كيفية التعامل معها. يتكون برنامج العلاج عادة من عشر جلسات تقريبًا تُقدَّم أسبوعيًا.

علاج القلق الشديد لدى الأطفال

يتوفر أيضًا علاج لاضطرابات القلق لدى الأطفال والمراهقين بشكل مكثف للعائلات غير القادرة على قضاء وقت طويل في مايو كلينك. حيث يمكن تقديم العلاج في تسع جلسات على مدار خمسة أيام. ومن أهداف هذه العلاجات المكثفة:

• تعليم الطفل والأهل طرق فهم القلق ببراعة وآلية عمل العلاج السلوكي.
• تخفيف الأعراض التي تظهر على الطفل من خلال استكمال برنامج يتعرض فيه الطفل بنجاح لمواقف تسبب القلق.
• تعليم الطفل والأهل كيفية إجراء العلاج بالتعرض للمواقف بأنفسهم بحيث يمكنهم الاستمرار في العلاج في المنزل.

وتقدم إليهم خدمة رعاية تفقدية عبر الهاتف.

Additional resource

التجارب السريرية

يمكن للأطفال والعائلات الذين يتلقون العلاج في عيادة اضطرابات القلق لدى الأطفال المشاركة في التجارب السريرية. تشمل هذه التجارب أدوات التشخيص وتطوير وتحسين طرق العلاج وفهم العوامل الفردية والبيئية التي تسهم في اضطرابات القلق واستخدام طرق التصوير العصبي لفحص البيولوجيا العصبية لاضطرابات القلق.

وتشمل الدراسات الحالية تجارب معشاة مضبوطة تقارن بين أشكال مختلفة من العلاج السلوكي المعرفي لاضطرابات القلق لدى الأطفال والتحقق من صلاحية استخدام التكنولوجيا في تقديم العلاج.

Mayo Clinic's Pediatric Anxiety Disorders Clinic provides advanced, evidence-based medical and psychological treatment for children and teenagers with the following conditions:

Find answers to common questions about the Pediatric Anxiety Disorders Clinic, including how the program works, what to expect during treatment and how to get started.

How do I know if my child has anxiety or OCD?

Many children experience worries or fears at times. However, anxiety or OCD may require treatment if symptoms are very distressing or interfere with daily life, such as attending school, sleeping, taking part in activities or interacting with others. A comprehensive evaluation can help determine whether your child would benefit from care.

What age groups do you treat?

Our clinic provides care for children and teenagers across a range of developmental stages, from children in preschool to high school. Treatment is tailored to the child's age, needs and level of functioning. Group-based treatments are available for youths ages 7 to 18.

What happens during the first visit?

The first visit includes a detailed evaluation of your child's symptoms, history and daily functioning. The care team will recommend a treatment plan and discuss next steps with you and your child.

What is exposure therapy?

Exposure therapy is a structured, evidence-based approach that helps children gradually face situations, thoughts or bodily sensations that cause anxiety. Over time, this process helps reduce fear and build confidence.

Why are parents involved in treatment?

Parent involvement is an important part of treatment. Parents learn how to support their children during and after therapy sessions, which helps reinforce progress and maintain improvements at home.

What is the 5-day intensive treatment program?

The five-day intensive program provides multiple daily therapy sessions over one week (Monday through Friday). This format allows children and families to make meaningful progress in a shorter period of time.

How long does treatment take?

The length of treatment varies based on each child's needs. Some families participate in a five-day intensive program with continued work after returning home, while others attend weekly sessions over 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the child's needs.

What is the best treatment for childhood anxiety disorders and OCD?

Our research suggests that parent-coached exposure therapy is more effective than the most studied cognitive-behavioral therapy. Medicines can be added to therapy as needed.

Do you offer virtual or in-person care?

Virtual or in-person initial assessment may be available based on your family's needs. Contact the clinic to learn about current options.

Is taking medicine required?

Medicine is not required for treatment to be successful. When appropriate, psychiatric consultation can help decide whether medicine may be helpful as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

Does insurance cover treatment?

Insurance coverage varies. We recommend checking with your insurance provider to ensure your policy covers treatment.

Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.

Can families from outside Minnesota receive care?

Yes. The five-day intensive treatment program helps to support families traveling from outside the region.

How do I schedule an appointment or make a referral?

Parents or physicians can request an appointment online or by calling 507-266-5100, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central time, Monday through Friday.

The treatment provided through Mayo Clinic's Pediatric Anxiety Disorders Clinic is based on the latest research on how to treat childhood anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) effectively and efficiently.

Studies from Mayo Clinic's Pediatric Anxiety Disorders Laboratory have shown that Parent-Coached Exposure Therapy can significantly reduce anxiety symptoms and improve functioning in children and adolescents. Our research also shows that more intensive treatments can be more effective. That means families can make meaningful progress in less time.

Mayo Clinic researchers continue to study anxiety disorders and OCD to improve care and expand access to treatment. Current research focuses on how treatment is delivered, factors that affect anxiety and ways technology can support care.

Developing parent-coached exposure therapy

To provide better options for children with anxiety disorders and OCD, a team of Mayo Clinic researchers and therapists reviewed how treatment is typically delivered. The team found that exposure therapy was the most important part of treatment (Ale et al., 2015; Whiteside et al., 2020). Based on these findings, the team developed a pilot study of parent-coached exposure therapy. The pilot suggested that it would be possible to help youth improve more quickly if exposure therapy started early and included parents (Whiteside et al., 2015).

Researchers then developed a clinical trial to compare Parent-Coached Exposure Therapy with traditional cognitive behavioral therapy. In the study, children and teens ages 7 to 17 received one of the two treatments. Researchers measured progress halfway through treatment and again 14 weeks after treatment started.

Researchers found clear differences between the two treatment approaches. Children who received Parent-Coached Exposure Therapy:

• Experienced more improvement.
• Improved faster.
• Needed fewer appointments.
• Participated more fully in daily activities.
• Often began to improve soon after starting exposure exercises.

Research suggests that Parent-Coached Exposure Therapy works well for both children and teens, including those with more severe symptoms. (Whiteside et al., 2024).

Additional studies from Mayo Clinic show that both our five-day intensive treatment program and once-weekly group treatment program can lead to significant improvement in anxiety and OCD symptoms. (Whiteside et al., 2014; Whiteside et al., 2018; Brennan et al., 2023)

Selected bibliography

• Ale, C. M., McCarthy, D. M., Rothschild, L., & Whiteside, S. P. H. (2015). Components of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Related to Outcome in Childhood Anxiety Disorders. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 18, 240-251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-015-0184-8
• Brennan, E., Bailey, K. J., Biggs, B. K., Cunningham, M. L., Dammann, J. E., Reneson-Feeder, S. T., Tiede, M. S., & Whiteside, S. P. H. (2023). An Uncontrolled Investigation of the Feasibility of Parent-Coached Exposure Therapy for Youth with Anxiety Disorders. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32, 1681-1693. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02396-w
• Gloe, L. M., Biggs, B. K., Geske, J. R., Reneson-Feeder, S. T., Dammann, J. E., Hofschulte, D. R., & Whiteside, S. P. H. (2026). Effects of Parent-Coached Exposure Therapy Versus CBT on Avoidance, Impairment, and Remission in Childhood Anxiety. Behavior Therapy, 57(1), 103-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2025.07.002
• Gloe, L. M., Biggs, B. K., Lipinski, A. W., Pejic, J., Kor, A. K., Knapp, J., Lin, A. J., & Whiteside, S. P. H. (2025). Session Content in Parent-Coached Exposure Therapy Versus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Childhood Anxiety Disorders. Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/23794925.2025.2579294
• Whiteside, S. P. H., McKay, D., De Nadai, A. S., Tiede, M. S., Ale, C. M., & Storch, E. A. (2014). A baseline controlled examination of a 5-day intensive treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatry Research, 220(1-2), 441-446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2014.07.006
• Whiteside, S. P. H., Ale, C. M., Young, B., Dammann, J., Tiede, M. S., & Biggs, B. K. (2015). The feasibility of improving CBT for childhood anxiety disorders through a dismantling study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 73, 83-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2015.07.011
• Whiteside, S. P. H., Biggs, B. K., Geske, J. R., Gloe, L. M., Reneson-Feeder, S. T., Cunningham, M., Dammann, J. E., Brennan, E., Ong, M. L., Olsen, M. W., & Hofschulte, D. R. (2024). Parent-coached exposure therapy versus cognitive behavior therapy for childhood anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 104, 102877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102877
• Whiteside, S. P. H., Dammann, J. E., Tiede, M. S., Biggs, B. K., & Hillson Jensen, A. (2018). Increasing Availability of Exposure Therapy Through Intensive Group Treatment for Childhood Anxiety and OCD. Behav Modif, 42(5), 707-728. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445517730831
• Whiteside, S. P. H., Gloe, L. M., & Biggs, B. K. (2026). Differentiating the Course of Symptom Improvement Between Two Treatments for Childhood Anxiety Disorders. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 82: 1142-1153. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.70140
• Whiteside, S. P. H., Sim, L. A., Morrow, A. S., Farah, W. H., Hilliker, D. R., Murad, M. H., & Wang, Z. (2020). A Meta-analysis to Guide the Enhancement of CBT for Childhood Anxiety: Exposure Over Anxiety Management. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 23(1), 102-121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-019-00303-2

Publications

See a list of publications about child and adolescent anxiety disorders and OCD by Mayo Clinic doctors on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.

Mayo Clinic is dedicated to making sure you and your child can access the services you need, when you need them. Call us to discuss your needs and treatment options.

Phone: 507-266-5100

Phones are answered from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central time Monday to Friday. For non-urgent calls after hours, call 507-255-4151.