I once had a patient named Jerry (a fake name to protect his identity, but with permission to share his story from Jerry and his family).  Jerry was in high school and was very anxious anytime he went out in public. 

His mother reported concerns that they were not able to live a life they wanted because of Jerry’s anxiety. They couldn’t go to the mall, eat out at a restaurant, or go out to stores because he just felt too overwhelmed. And when he did go out, he would wear earplugs AND headphones to avoid his anxiety, neither of which helped. Needless to say, he and his family were ready for change!

I can tell you that after some therapy and LOTS of hard work, I received an email filled with pictures of Jerry at prom, which was attended by over 1,000 people. Now when Jerry goes places, he states, “I’m gonna Lori Long this sh**!"

As much as I love that Jerry made my name into a verb, I can’t take the credit. The techniques we used were from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). And today...

At the beginning of the school year, my 5-year-old daughter seemed to have an endless amount of worries every night before bed. She had just started kindergarten, and it was her 3^rd new school over the past couple of years. Every new situation that came up during the week, she expressed concerns. Separation from me all day was a concern. Uncertainty in general was a concern. After a period of a few months, the worries eased, the separation anxiety lessened, and nighttime fears seemed to go away.

Then, over the holidays, we had a solid few weeks of almost constant worries about 1^st grade. What would it be like? Would she know anyone? Who would her teacher be? What would the work be like? The list seemed to go on and on. And then, after we arrived home from traveling and caught up on some rest, the worries slowly disappeared.

In the midst of all of my daughter’s anxiety though, I felt a burden. Naturally, I began to worry about my daughter’s worry! If any of you parents out there have ...