Case Study- 6 yr old with anxiety

Gregor is a 6 year old boy, who displayed signs of anxiety heightened by the pandemic. He started school in the middle of the pandemic and initially seemed to accept the ‘new norm’ without any problems. However, following the post-Christmas lockdown his parents noticed that he was becoming increasingly concerned with washing his hands. He was also worried about whether he was touching various parts of his body without then washing his hands.

When he returned to school, he began sneaking out of his class to wash his hands. He also began asking his parents questions regularly (up to 90 a day) and was increasingly anxious about needing to wash his hands if he had accidentally touched a part of his body. His parents said that it was the first thing he thought of in the morning and the last thing at night. At one stage, he woke them in the middle of the night, as he was worried that he had accidently touched his tummy.

After looking for help in various places, Aurelie was recommended to his parents, who listened carefully and suggested simple and practical strategies to help with his anxiety. She recommended using ‘Big Deal, Little Deal’, as well as ‘OK/Not OK’ resources. His parents used the supports consistently and calmly. Within two weeks, they noticed a significant reduction in Gregor’s anxiety levels and questioning. His parents were told that his anxiety had also subsided at school and they were delighted that their son was feeling more relaxed and less anxious.