Does your child have a hard time going to the doctor to get blood work or vaccinations done? We at Crossroads Collective understand the fear that children can have when it comes to needles and blood. But, through specialized care and empathetic people, it’s possible for your children to get through these appointments.
This was the exact case for one of our clients, Colby. With Colby’s consent, we wanted to share his incredible story through Crossroads Collective, a Langley Counselling Centre. Not only to share about how proud we are of him but to also encourage other families out there to know that Colby’s result is possible for you too.
Colby’s Story
Colby has been a patient of Shannon Lawrence’s for several years. He’s always been afraid to get blood work done. Every time the family tried to go to an appointment, Colby would refuse. He was too scared and traumatized to make it through an appointment.
This behaviour is extremely normal for children who have a fear of doctors, hospitals, new spaces and needles.
But, through the help of Crossroads Collective, we were able to get blood work done for Colby.
So, how did he manage to be able to do it?
Dedicated work with a counsellor.
Colby’s work with Shannon has helped him move through the fears. But, it wasn’t an overnight success. Shannon worked with Colby for years leading up to the day he was able to successfully get blood work done.
They’ve done dedicated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) together. Two months before the scheduled blood work, the two of them started to work together to discuss the blood work. They talked about the fears Colby had, his history with labs and blood tests and starting to work together to process everything.
Shannon brought in blood vials and syringes into the clinic to help show Colby what he could expect during his appointment. They also watched videos together. All of this work together allowed him to know what he was going to see and experience at his lab appointment.
The day of the appointment.
On the day of the appointment, it was decided that Shannon would go in with Colby for the blood work. With Colby’s history of holding onto the past and not letting it go, the family thought it would be best if Shannon took Colby to the appointment to remind him of all the work they’d been doing together.
When Colby and Shannon got to the office, Colby was scared. He didn’t want to do it. Through sweat, tears and nerves, Colby decided that it was the day he was finally going to overcome his fear.
Shannon stayed with him and validated all of his feelings, helped him find a comfortable position to be in and the lab was respectful of the time it took Colby to get comfortable.
Throughout the whole appointment, Colby made his own decisions. He was in control and decided when and if he was ready for the blood work. After he made the decision that it was time, he finally got his blood work done!
Shannon felt so proud of him.
“I think anything is possible. We just have to look at things in different ways and working together to take the fear out of things. Just like we did with Colby.”
After the Appointment.
After the appointment, they went to get Slurpees to celebrate. Colby felt so proud of himself. He’s ready and excited to eventually get to go on vacation with his family. Colby feels so proud of himself since he was able to overcome his fears and emotions surrounding labs.
For Shannon, she feels happy to be able to help out children like Colby. She’s proud of the work she does at Crossroads Collective.
“You just have to look at things in different ways. We work to eliminate fear for children and make sure the fear stays away all throughout childhood and into adulthood.”
It’s a process.
Working with children to overcome fear is a healthy process. It takes time, commitment, and empathy. At Crossroads Collective, we know that this healthy process can create a healthy outcome. It’s fully possible with the help of our dedicated staff members like Shannon.
If your family is struggling to overcome a similar situation or circumstance, reach out to our Langley Counselling Centre and get started with one of our counsellors today.
