Helping Your Anxious Child Thrive

It’s been a hard day, hasn’t it? Watching your child struggle with anxiety is exhausting. You’ve tried reassuring them, helping them problem-solve, and even setting boundaries, but nothing seems to stick. You’re exhausted, and your child feels stuck.

Anxiety can show up in many ways:

Struggles with perfectionism, procrastination, or academic stress.
Fears, phobias, or excessive worry that interfere with daily life.
Avoiding social situations or melting down over the smallest things.

At Briefly Counseling, PLLC, I offer a unique approach that delivers quick, practical strategies that work in real life. I’m Helena Madsen, LCPC, a Solution Focused Brief Therapist in Chicago. I specialize in helping kids and teens ages 7-18 learn powerful skills to overcome anxiety, fear, and stress—giving them back their confidence and joy.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy for Faster Results

Solution Focused Brief Therapy is an empowering approach that focuses on what’s already working in your child’s life and builds on those strengths. It’s specifically designed to bring out the skills, resources, and resilience within each child.

Therapy isn’t about “fixing” kids; it’s about equipping them with practical tools and strategies to navigate challenges on their own terms.

With anxiety, kids often feel trapped by worries they can’t control. Solution Focused Brief Therapy shows them how to shift their attention from what’s holding them back to what they can achieve. This approach has been shown to reduce anxiety quickly, with visible results in just 6-8 sessions.

Parenting Support That Matters

Your involvement is key to your child’s progress, and I’m here to support you, too. Through the course of therapy, I’ll guide you on practical steps you can take at home to reinforce what we’re working on in sessions. You’ll be provided with tools and techniques to cultivate a peaceful and nurturing home atmosphere, enabling your child to feel secure and confident in addressing their anxieties.

Picture a Life Free of Anxiety

Imagine a life where your child feels confident tackling challenges and can go to bed without worries holding them back. Through Solution Focused Brief Therapy, I can help your child step into a life filled with resilience, joy, and the self-belief they need to reach their potential. This therapy isn’t just about treating symptoms; it’s about helping your child gain skills that will serve them for life.

Isn’t it Time to Bring Calm Back to Your Family?

You don’t have to go through this alone. I’m here to bring a new sense of hope and peace to your family’s life. Contact me, Helena Madsen, LCPC, for a FREE 20-minute consultation to see if my approach is the right fit for your family. Call 224-236-2296, or complete my Contact Form.

Together, we can lift the weight of anxiety off your child’s shoulders and bring calm back into your home.

Let's connect online and get started!

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My Specialties

Child Therapy in Chicago: Support for Your Child's Anxiety

By the time most parents reach out to me, they feel worried, frustrated, overwhelmed, and maybe even…resentful. Your child can be anxious, highly emotional with anger and meltdowns which makes them difficult to parent.

Christian Counseling for Kids and Teens

Some days you're really pleased to see your child's faith strong and growing, but other days your child is reactive, anxious, angry, and many times...confused! The world can be a challenging, even hostile place for young believers right now.

Counseling for Your Child the Way You Want It

Effective

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is clinically effective and rooted in science. Read the outcome studies that prove it.

Convenient

No need to drive anywhere. Online anxiety counseling is easy and confidential! You and your child can talk to me from the comfort of your own home.

Time Efficient

Change can happen in as little as 6-8 sessions. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is as effective as other therapy approaches but in fewer sessions.

Affordable

You save money! With fewer sessions, your financial commitment is less than with lengthier therapy approaches.

A GUIDE YOU CAN TRUST

As a parent myself, I know what it feels like to wonder whether you’re doing enough to help your child cope with anxiety.

The truth is prolonged anxiety in kids and teens is not normal, and can make the entire family feel overwhelmed and “sick”.

Hiring an experienced child therapist in Chicago for practical help and relief may be one of the smartest investments you can make in your family.

As a Certified Solution-Focused Brief Therapist, I offer a compassionate and effective way of working with your child to help them find hope and confidence again…quickly.

Thankful parents of current and former clients have described me as “special and gifted”, a “Godsend”, and a “loving part of their village”.

Join the many families who trust me to help their anxious kids and teens overcome difficult seasons and regain confidence and hope.

Testimonials

“Helena is the epitome of compassion and caring. She has a way of normalizing thoughts and feelings for children who feel different. She often reinforces our values and beliefs while providing very helpful coping skills. We have seen a lot of growth since starting our time with her.”

“Helena is very informative and willing to listen to the parent. We feel very comfortable and have always received prompt and thoughtful communication.”

“Since starting therapy, my daughter is more likely to identify the cause of her anxiety. Also, things that used to cause her anxiety, like teeth brushing and sleep have greatly improved.”

“We think Helena is kind, wise and helpful. We feel therapy has helped our daughter and given her tools to cope with her mental health.”

“I feel Helena’s communication is wonderful! We’re able to discuss anything outside of a session that we need to and likewise, we are not given too much information to digest.”

“While we still have good days and less good days, there are more good ones. Relationship management and expectations are much better.”

“My son loved his last session with Helena and kept asking when he’d see her next. He sees Helena as a safe person and I really appreciate that.”

“Our daughter has learned to communicate more effectively with us about her anxiety so we can help her. She’s able to recognize her reaction better and tries to come out of it using her coping skills. There’s effort on her part now where there wasn’t before.”

“Communication is on the spot! We feel very informed, and appreciate the feedback, and resources.”

Curious About Online Child Therapy in Chicago or Florida?

I understand. Sometimes we view “different” with curiosity. Even skepticism.

Online child therapy in Chicago or Florida delivers equal benefits to in-office counseling, but provides advantages for kids and teens:

Video chatting mimics the way kids and teens are most comfortable communicating with friends.
They may feel “safer” than visiting an office and talking to an adult in person.
Online therapy can feel more confidential, making it easier for kids and teens to share difficult feelings.
Kids can relax in a familiar environment and surround themselves with pets and favorite toys.
Online counseling makes therapy more accessible to kids and teens with severe anxiety or health concerns.
An online session is easier for parents to manage because no commute is necessary.

Researchers have studied how kids respond to computer-based therapy and found that it can be helpful for both depression and anxiety. According to the study, kids spend so much time on their phones and other devices that this form of therapy may come more naturally to them.

Help your child find hope and confidence again!

1) Schedule a Consultation Call for Your Child

Reserve a convenient time for your child via email or phone.

2) Review Session Rules Together

This short checklist provides guidelines for a productive online session.

3) Witness
Less Anxiety

Watch your child begin to live a better story after a few brief sessions.

Chicago Counselor for Kids & Teens with Anxiety Solution-Focused Brief Therapy