Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) Support | Walthamstow & Online Therapy for Children and Adults
Support for children experiencing EBSA (school avoidance linked to anxiety). Calm, compassionate therapy for children and parents in Walthamston, London and Online
Limited availability each week
Many people feel nervous about reaching out for therapy. That’s completely normal.
When your child can’t go to school, it can feel overwhelming for both of you
You might be seeing:
Tears, panic, or shutdown in the mornings
Physical symptoms like stomach aches or headaches
Sudden refusal to attend school
A child who wants to go … but just cant
This isn’t bad behaviour. And it’s not something you have to figure out alone.
I support children and families experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)
Helping your child feel safe, understood, and gradually able to re-engage with education in a way that feels manageable.
Online and Walthamstow-based sessions.
What is EBSA?
Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) is when a child is unable to attend school due to overwhelming emotional distress, often linked to anxiety.
This might look like:
Panic or distress around school
Difficulty separating from parents
Avoidance that builds over time
Masting at school followed by emotional release at home.
Often, it’s not just one thing causing it. It can be a combination of things:
Anxiety
Social pressures
Sensory overwhelm
Feeling unnsafe or misunderstood
Underlying needs such as SEND or neurodiversity
Over time, the nervous system becomes overwhelmed, and school starts to feel like too much.
If you’d like a more detailed, simple breakdown, you can read:
👉 What is EBSA? A simple guide for parents
Limited availability each week
Is this EBSA or “just behaviour”?
This is one of the most common worries parents have.
The key difference is this:
Children experiencing EBSA are not choosing this
Their nervous system is in a state of overwhelm.
You might notice:
They Want to go, but can’t
Their distress feels genuine and intense
It escalates rather then improves with pressure
What looks like “refusal” is often; anxiety, fear, or emotional overload
You might also find this helpful:
👉 How to help a child who refuses to go to school
What actually helps
When a child is overwhelmed, pushing harder rarely works.
What helps is:
Reducing pressure (not removing expectations entirely)
Increasing emotional safety
Understanding the root cause
Working at the child’s pace
This doesn’t mean doing noting. It means doing the right things, in the right way.
For practical, day-to-day support, including what to say in the moment, you can read:
👉 What to say when your child doesn’t want to go to school
Limited availability each week
A simple way to understand it
When you child feels overwhelmed, their brain shifts into a survival response.
This can look like:
Fight (anger, resistance)
Flight (avoidance, refusal)
Freeze (shutdown, withdrawal)
School in that moment, doesn’t feel “challenging'“, it feels unsafe.
Therapy helps to gently bring the nervous system back to a place where your child can begin to feel safe again.
If mornings feel particularly difficult, this guide can help:
👉 Morning routines when your child refuses school
How I can support you and your child
I offer a calm, supportive space where your child can:
Make sense of what they are feeling
Express themselves in ways that feel comfortable (not just talking)
Build emotional safety and confidence
For parents, I also offer:
Guidance on what helps (and what can make things harder)
Support in navigating school conversations
Preactical ways to respond at home
My approach is:
Walm and non-judgemental
Tailored to your child
Grounded in understanding, not pressure
Limited availability each week
Common Questions
Should I force my child to go to school?
In most cases, forcing attendance when a child is highly distressed can increase anxiety and make things more difficult long term. Support and understanding are key.
Will this just pass?
Sometimes it can improve, but without support, it often becomes more entrenched over time.
Is this linked to anxiety or SEND?
You’re not alone in this. Many parents feel unsupported. I can help guide you in how to approach these conversations and next steps.
If this feels familiar, you’re not alone, and support is available. You don’t need to have all the answers before reaching out.
We can start with a simple conversation.
20-minute consultation call (£20)
Online sessions available across the UK
Walthamstow and surrounding areas
Limited availability each week