Specialist emetophobia therapy for children and young people, without exposure therapy, involving parents throughout the programme.
Specialist help for children and young people from age eight
I’m Sally Baker, a senior therapist with more than 25 years’ experience working with anxiety and deeply embedded emotional patterns. I offer a separate, structured emetophobia programme for children and young people from age eight, with parents involved throughout.
The main therapy session takes place face to face with me in SE London. I do not use exposure therapy and I will not show your child upsetting pictures or videos of people being sick.
The complete programme costs £600 and includes preparation with the parent or parents, a Zoom meeting with you and your child, a two hour face to face therapy session, a follow up Zoom and my written emetophobia guidance notes.
Book a free 30 minute parent discovery call
When does anxiety about being sick become emetophobia?
Most children dislike being sick. Emetophobia is different because anxiety about vomiting begins to shape the child’s behaviour and restrict everyday life.
A child or young person may avoid certain foods, refuse to eat away from home, check use by dates, worry about illness spreading at school or repeatedly ask whether they look ill. They may avoid public transport, school trips, sleepovers, parties, restaurants or anyone who has recently been unwell.
Some children constantly monitor their stomach and interpret ordinary sensations as a warning that they may be sick. Others become distressed when a classmate coughs, mentions a stomach ache or leaves the classroom suddenly.
The clearest question is not simply how frightened your child feels. It is how much of their life, and family life, has become organised around preventing or avoiding vomiting.
Why can emetophobia become so powerful in a child?
Emetophobia is rarely just a dislike of vomiting. A child’s nervous system may have learnt to connect sickness with danger, loss of control, contamination, embarrassment, being trapped or being unable to get help.
That association may follow an upsetting illness, seeing somebody else being sick or a frightening event that appeared unrelated. Sometimes there is no single incident that anyone can identify.
Once the brain believes it has found a threat, it becomes very good at searching for warning signs. Avoidance and reassurance can bring short term relief, but they can also teach the nervous system that the feared situation really did require protection. Gradually, the anxiety can spread into food, school, travel, friendships and family routines.
This does not mean that parents have caused the problem. Parents naturally try to soothe a distressed child. Part of my role is to help the family respond in ways that support the child without allowing emetophobia to make more and more decisions.
How is emetophobia different from ordinary childhood worry?
Ordinary worries tend to pass and do not repeatedly dictate what a child can eat, where they can go or what the family must do. Emetophobia is more persistent and can lead to avoidance, repeated checking, physical distress and a growing need for certainty.
It can also look different in different children. One child may fear being sick themselves. Another may be more distressed by seeing or hearing someone else being sick. The strongest anxiety may concern nausea, germs, embarrassment, loss of control or being unable to escape.
I work with those individual elements instead of treating the problem as one enormous fear that the child must confront all at once.
Do you use exposure therapy with children who have emetophobia?
No. I do not use exposure therapy in my work with children and young people.
I will not ask your child to watch videos of people being sick, look at upsetting images or deliberately make themselves feel nauseous. My approach focuses on identifying and changing the learned emotional responses, memories and associations that are keeping the anxiety active.
I use age appropriate, neuroscience informed therapeutic techniques. Some of the work can be content free, which means a child does not necessarily have to explain a distressing memory or experience in detail.
The aim is not to persuade a child that vomiting is pleasant or to promise that they will never be ill. It is to help their nervous system stop treating the possibility of vomiting as a constant danger.
Why are parents involved throughout the programme?
Emetophobia rarely affects only the child. Parents may be checking food, changing family plans, answering repeated questions, collecting a child from school or trying to prevent distress before it begins.
These responses are understandable, but families can become caught in routines that provide immediate relief while unintentionally keeping the anxiety important.
Parents are involved so that I can understand the full pattern, help the child feel safe during the work and give the family a consistent way to respond afterwards. A parent or parents remain present throughout the two hour face to face session.
The purpose is not to blame anyone. It is to help you support your child while making less room for emetophobia to direct family life.
What does the children and young people’s emetophobia programme include?
The programme begins with a free, obligation free 20 minute Zoom discovery call with the parent or parents. This first conversation is for adults only.
If we agree to continue, I will send you a detailed parent questionnaire. We will then have a Zoom meeting with you first and if you want to proceed we will schedule a Zoom meeting with you and your child. Ideally with will be followed by a two hour face to face therapy session with me in SE London. A parent or parents remain present throughout the session and I provide follow up guidance notes.
Approximately three weeks later, we meet again by Zoom with the parent and child to review what has changed, discuss anything that still needs attention and support the next steps.
The programme also includes my written emetophobia guidance notes, based on my therapeutic work with children, young people and families.
How much does the complete programme cost?
The fee for the complete programme is £600. This includes the parent discovery process, detailed questionnaire, Zoom meeting with parent and Zoom meeting with parent and child, two hour face to face session in SE London, follow up Zoom approximately three weeks later and my written guidance notes.
Why must the main session take place face to face?
The preparation and follow up meetings take place by Zoom, but the main two hour therapy session is ideally face to face in SE London.
Working in the same room allows me to respond closely to the child’s needs, use age appropriate therapeutic activities and involve parents throughout. I consider this important for achieving the best possible therapeutic work with children, so I strongly prefer not offer the main session online.
What ages do you work with?
I offer this programme to children and young people from age eight. Suitability depends on more than age alone, so the initial parent discovery call allows me to understand your child’s needs and tell you honestly whether I believe this programme is appropriate.
What if emetophobia is affecting my child’s eating?
Emetophobia can lead a child to avoid foods, reduce portion sizes or restrict where they feel able to eat. Please tell me about any changes in eating, weight, physical health or growth during the parent discovery call.
Therapy does not replace medical assessment. If your child is losing weight, becoming dehydrated, fainting, eating very little or becoming physically unwell, contact their GP or appropriate medical service promptly. Where another condition or a higher level of care may be involved, I will be clear about whether my programme is suitable.
Can you help if my child has already tried CBT or exposure therapy?
Possibly. Previous therapy does not automatically mean that another approach cannot help. I will want to understand what your child has already tried, how they experienced it, what changed and what did not.
My work does not depend on repeating CBT or exposure therapy. The parent discovery call is the right place to discuss previous support and whether my approach may be appropriate.
Why work with Sally Baker for childhood emetophobia?
I am a senior therapist, published author and media commentator with more than 25 years’ professional experience. Emetophobia is a particular area of my private practice, and I have discussed emetophobia and its treatment as a guest expert on BBC Radio 2.
My approach looks beyond the visible symptom to the emotional learning keeping the anxiety active. I work with the child’s individual pattern and involve parents so that change can be supported within everyday family life.
I do not expect children to give long, detailed explanations of why they feel as they do. The work is age appropriate, collaborative and designed to help the child feel included rather than treated as the problem.
What happens when a parent contacts me?
We begin with a free, obligation free 30 minute Zoom discovery call for the parent or parents. Your child does not attend this first conversation.
You can tell me what has been happening, what emetophobia is stopping your child from doing, how it is affecting family life and what support you have already tried. I will explain how the programme works and answer your questions.
I will also tell you honestly whether I believe the programme is appropriate. You can then decide whether you would like to continue. There is no obligation to book.
Book a free 30 minute parent discovery call
Ready to talk about your child’s emetophobia?
If anxiety about vomiting is restricting your child’s eating, education, friendships, travel or family life, the first step is a conversation between adults.
Book a free 30 minute parent discovery call to explain what is happening, ask questions and find out whether this structured programme may be suitable for your child.
Book a free 30 minute parent discovery call
Further information about my work with emetophobia
Apophenia, Magical Thinking & Emetophobia: Rewiring the Brain to Feel Safe
