The Cycle of Anxiety
The following diagram illustrates the cycles of thoughts and feelings that can lead to a child or young person initially avoiding attending school and continuing to refuse to attend. This is commonly referred to as the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) cycle, which links emotions, behaviours, and thoughts. We can use this model to understand school avoidance: the child or young person can often get stuck in a loop of feeling anxious about school, then moving on to having worried thoughts, both of which may result in school avoidance behaviours.
Adapted from Suffolk County’s EBSA resources (2022).
Good Practice Tip: In the diagram of the school avoidance cycle, the anxiety around attending school has initially decreased due to school avoidance. Often, the anxiety will increase again when the child or young person has had time to think about reintegrating back into school. Keeping the child or young person tethered to school through online teamwork or schoolwork will help with this.
The diagram above illustrates the internal processes of the child or young person. Applying the CBT cycle to behaviours that educators might observe in school, we can see that this is an example of how the anxiety cycle can perpetuate difficulties for the child and further entrench school avoidance behaviour.
It is important to note that unmet needs, such as diagnosis of neurodiversity or mental health issues, may result in behavioural issues that might be problematic in the school environment.
For additional guidance, refer to your school’s policy on challenging behaviour.
Additional Resources
INTO
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) is Ireland’s oldest and largest teachers’ trade union. They provide phone support for members and run campaigns and events throughout the school year.
NEPS
Department of Education Guidance
Understanding Behaviours of Concern and Responding to Crisis Situations Guidelines for Schools in Supporting Students has been developed by the Department of Education as a resource for schools. The guidelines have been developed to address uncertainty for staff on how to respond when facing crisis situations where there are concerns regarding physical safety. They focus on creating inclusive environments which can respond to need and build on good practice including prevention and de-escalation.