I know your child very well.

I know they can’t sleep without a melatonin because they can’t get their brain to stop. That they are often up most of the night thinking about school the next day and everything that has to get done next week. They would rather stay up until 3 AM than get a B. They would rather not sleep than change their major. I know they have at least 15 worst case scenarios running through their head and they start to get headaches and stomachaches on the car ride to school. They have been praised for how smart they are and how easy things are for them, but school and life has started to get harder and they don’t know how to navigate this challenge. They have stayed busy for so long, they don’t know how to feel what they’re feeling, let alone manage it. When they do have off time, when they are supposed to relax and hang out with friends- they can’t. They can’t watch a movie with their friends or family without being on edge.

I also know they are so talented and such an amazing kid. I know that they have many gifts and are perfect in so many ways. I also know that anxiety, big emotions, tough transitions — none of it erases how smart or resourceful your child already is. The kids I work with are consistently some of the smartest, most resourceful people in the room — they just need support translating that strength into this moment. My job isn’t to fix them. It’s to help them find the tools they already have the capacity to use, so this hard chapter can turn into the next one.