Phobia Treatment for Children - Camali Clinic

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About Service

Making Lives Better

A phobia is an intense, persistent, and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity that leads to significant distress and avoidance behaviour. Phobias are one of the most common anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. At Camali Clinic, we use evidence-based graduated exposure therapy to help young people face and overcome their fears in a safe, supportive environment.

Who needs it?

Children and adolescents who experience marked and persistent fear or anxiety in response to a specific object or situation (e.g. animals, blood/injections, heights, storms, flying, social situations), where the fear is out of proportion to the actual risk and is causing avoidance or significant distress.

Phobia Treatment for Children

1. Symptoms may include

  • Immediate and intense fear or anxiety when exposed to the specific phobic stimulus
  • Active avoidance of the feared object or situation, or enduring it with extreme distress
  • Physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, or feeling faint when facing the feared stimulus
  • In children: crying, tantrums, freezing, or clinging as expressions of phobic fear
  • The fear causes significant disruption to daily life, school attendance, or family activities
    (e.g. refusing to attend school due to fear of vomiting, avoiding parks due to dogs)
  • Graduated Exposure Therapy (GET) / Systematic Desensitisation – the gold standard for phobia treatment; the child is gradually and safely exposed to the feared stimulus in a structured hierarchy, from least to most anxiety-provoking
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – helping the child understand and challenge fearful thoughts about the phobic stimulus
  • Parent coaching – guiding parents on how to respond to their child's fear in ways that support recovery rather than maintaining avoidance

Our Team

We are here to guide you

Meet the specialists who bring compassion, knowledge, and experience to every aspect of care.

Dr Mahshid Bayat

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Akbar Shourestan

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Sreevidhya K. Srinivas

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Emmanuelle Massad

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Dr Fadi Maalouf

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Dr Kusay Moosa Hadi

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Step-by-Step Support

How we provide the service

Learn how our structured, personalized process guides each individual through assessment, planning, and tailored support to achieve meaningful results.
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01
Assessment & Fear Hierarchy
Assessment of the specific phobia, its triggers, severity, and impact. A personalised fear hierarchy (list of situations from least to most scary) is created with the child.
02
Graduated Exposure Sessions
The child works through the hierarchy step by step in session, supported by the therapist, building confidence and tolerance at each stage before progressing.
03
Generalisation and Consolidation
Skills and progress are consolidated, with homework tasks to practise in real-world settings. Parents are supported throughout to reinforce progress at home.

Specific FAQS

1.

How many sessions does phobia treatment take?

Specific phobias are often among the most efficiently treated anxiety conditions. Many children show significant improvement within 6–12 sessions, depending on the phobia type and severity.