History A 7-year-old girl presents with a poor track record of school attendance. Her mother struggles to get her to school because the girl is constantly tearful. Her mother reports that her daughter has always been a somewhat anxious and sensitive child. When she was a toddler she used to get very upset if her mother was not constantly with her. It was so difficult that her mother gave up her job and became a nursery assistant to ensure the girl went to the nursery.
She had hoped things would improve as her daughter got older but in fact, things are now worse than ever. Her daughter is reluctant to be looked after by anyone other than her mother and cries constantly if her mother is not visible to her. She will not sleep in her own room and by the morning has often worked her way to her parents’ room or bed. This is causing some marital tension as the father feels the girl is this way…
