Edward H. Plimpton, PhD

My name is Edward Plimpton and I am clinical psychologist who specializes in anxious children. My practice is located in Amherst, MA. I have put together a series of emails to parents around various aspects of dealing with anxious children. I hope you find them helpful

Do you have a child who clings to you like Velcro when you go out to a new place? When you are in the bathroom, does he pace outside the door? Is she reluctant to go upstairs by herself, or to go outside to play? Does he need endless reassurance — that he doesn’t have cancer, that his food isn’t poisoned, or that it is impossible for a shark to get into the bathtub?

If you recognize any of these behaviors, you may have an anxious child. Anxious children are often plagued by fears and beliefs that make no sense to their friends or parents, but are only too real to them. Without some special handling, these fears can turn into major barriers that spoil an anxious child’s fun and sap his confidence.

In this blog, I have collected some e-mails that I have sent to parents of anxious children on topics that come up frequently in our work together. These messages may give parents some ideas about how to handle a child’s anxiety, or point them in the right direction to get more help or useful information. Professionals, too, may find these e-mails useful as handouts to their clients.