Summer Break and the Anxious Child: Why Rest Alone Isn’t Enough—and How ERP Can Help

Ira Hays
Jul 9
3 min read

As a child therapist and anxiety specialist, I often hear summer described as a time for rest, recovery, and letting go. And for many children, that’s true. But for those struggling with panic-related disorders—such as emetophobia, agoraphobia, school refusal, or attachment-based OCD—summer can bring not relief, but regression.

These children don’t just take a break from school—they’re often taking a break from the slow, deliberate work of facing their fears. Without ongoing exposure and structure, months of progress can slip away. That’s why summer is actually a critical time to engage in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), one of the most effective treatments for childhood anxiety.

💡 ERP: The Most Underused Summer Strategy

ERP isn’t about pushing kids into panic or ignoring their trauma. It’s about teaching the brain—through repeated, supportive exposure—that anxiety doesn’t have to control their lives. It’s how kids learn that nausea won’t harm them, separation won’t destroy them, and that fear doesn’t mean stop—it means lean in with support.

And this doesn’t have to feel clinical or overwhelming. ERP during the summer might look like:

Visiting a busy store without asking for reassurance
Taking a short family trip away from a “safe zone”
Eating a feared food—or simply sitting with the thought of it
Practicing light separation from caregivers

These may seem small, but they matter deeply. With ERP, each step forward rewires the brain to tolerate discomfort rather than avoid it.

🧠 The Brain Doesn’t Take a Break

Children with anxiety disorders work incredibly hard during the school year just to show up, engage, and cope. That effort builds resilience—like working out a muscle. But when we “let them off the hook” for the summer, their growing distress tolerance can weaken, making the return to school in the fall overwhelming.

That’s why we must stay gently engaged. Not overwhelmed, not rigid—but intentional.

💻 Where BiaJourney.com Comes In

This is exactly where BiaJourney.com can support families, students, and counselors. BiaJourney.com is a digital platform designed to make ERP accessible and empowering. Whether you're a parent guiding your child through summer challenges, a school counselor supporting maintenance strategies, or a teen navigating your own recovery, BiaJourney.com offers:

Age-appropriate ERP tools tailored to real-life fears
Structured support that keeps anxiety treatment going even during school breaks
Guidance for parents and clinicians to scaffold exposure gently but effectively
A clear path forward so summer doesn’t become a season of setbacks

🛠 Preventing Regression Starts Now

Each September, I see children who made meaningful progress suddenly struggling again: panic at drop-off, stomachaches before school, refusals to leave the house. But it doesn’t have to be this way. A few minutes a day of structured ERP—especially with the support of tools like BiaJourney.com—can preserve and even deepen the growth kids worked so hard to achieve.

✅ What You Can Do This Summer

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or therapist, here’s how to make summer more than a break:

Normalize discomfort. Teach kids that anxiety is not dangerous—just uncomfortable. And discomfort can be managed.
Stay connected to exposure. Use BiaJourney.com to structure small, daily challenges that keep the brain flexible and brave.
Reframe rest. Rest doesn’t mean avoidance. It means creating space to grow, with purpose and support.

🎯 Resilience Isn’t Built in Comfort

True resilience comes from doing hard things—with love, structure, and support. ERP doesn’t make summer harder—it makes it healing. With a clear plan, the right tools, and a mindset of growth over avoidance, your child can enter fall not just holding on, but moving forward.

Let’s rethink what summer is for. With the help of ERP—and digital supports like BiaJourney.com—we can turn these months into a season of steady, supported transformation.