When School Feels Impossible: Understanding EBSA and School Refusal Across Northern Ireland, more families are facing the reality of children who simply cannot attend school due to emotional distress. Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)—sometimes called school refusal or school anxiety—is not a matter of choice. It is a response to internal struggles often rooted in trauma, rejection, bullying, unmet special educational needs, or neurodivergent profiles. Children with E

At Progeny, based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, we meet young people with extraordinary stories. Stories often marked by pain and...

At Progeny, we understand the unique challenges families face when a child experiences emotional school refusal.

In the realm of therapeutic impact, the creation of a safe environment is paramount, especially when working with young people.

Everyone has a story and for many young people this can be very challenging and often overwhelming. These stories tend to include one or...

Combining therapy and mentoring can be a powerful approach for healing childhood trauma, offering a rich and multifaceted support system...

Childhood trauma refers to any event or series of events that overwhelm a child's ability to cope, causing significant emotional,...

In our therapeutic work with adolescents, it is so clear that we live in an age where a whole generation of young people are afraid to be...

Human Connection... Humans were created to be in community – we are deeply social beings. For many young people of school age, school is...