This child was desperately unhappy, as all children tend to be when referred to CAMHS (which is where I grudgingly work, by the way). The more anxious the child became, the more the child was supported to avoid. I spoke about how we had worked together, the child, family and I to help the child to experiment with the idea that the world is not as ‘scary’ or ‘critical’ as they imagined. The child was ‘masking’ and presenting to me (a neurotypical) what I hoped to hear. It is okay to be alone, you know.’ Only, for this child and, I would argue, nearly all humans it was not okay to be alone.