Finally, Specialized Recovery for School Phobia
Self-Guided Recovery for School Phobia
A structured, evidence-based program to help you overcome school phobia at your own pace
Are you a therapist?
Access the provider portal →
Hear from people we've helped with school phobia
"Bia changed my life. It gives you small steps to take every day and tracks your progress. I'm not done, but I already feel so much better and am doing so much more."
"I can tell this was built my someone who had phobia. They get it. The app lets you customize and take a little placement quiz. You can pause or exit whenever and it's very careful and explains every step. Thank you for making this"
"In short, this site is brilliant. The best help you will ever get apart from an in-person specialist, bar none."
"I feel extremely optimistic using this app and have already changed the way I think and feel more confident in stressful situations as I know what to do . It's also great that your mental health professionals can connect to your account and also have tools provided to them to help them help us."
"It starts with theory foundations and basic exposures and works you up an exposure hierarchy, helping you acclimate and build confidence."
"I love how the exposures are slow and very incremental. It's felt like what I imagine exposure therapy with a therapist would be like! The check ins are helpful and they really help me keep an eye on my anxiety levels while working on the exposures. I also appreciate the reminders to slow down! I'm only on chapter 3 but I'm feeling very optimistic"
School phobia is your child refusing school despite no obvious reason: no bullying, no learning difficulty, no specific event. The child usually has somatic complaints (stomach aches, headaches) that vanish on weekends and intensify Sunday night. It's almost always an anxiety condition: separation anxiety, social anxiety, or a specific school-related fear, wearing a school-phobia label. The clinical fix is graduated return-to-school with parent and school staff aligned. Bia structures the return plan, identifies the underlying anxiety, gives you scripts for the Sunday-night negotiation, and supports the morning-by-morning rebuild.
Common signs of school phobia
- Refusal to attend school, intensifying Sunday night
- Somatic complaints (stomach aches, headaches) that disappear when home
- Separation anxiety symptoms at the school gate
- Fear of specific elements: teachers, lunch hour, bathroom, PE
- Panic-like symptoms before or during the school day
- Improving symptoms during school breaks
Our clinical approach: graduated school return with parental and staff coordination
Real results for people with School Phobia
Most families using Bia's school-return plan see partial school attendance restored within 2 to 6 weeks of consistent structured exposure.
Two paths to recovery from School Phobia
Self-Guided
Recovery at your own pace, anytime
- Step-by-step guided recovery for School Phobia
- Evidence-based lessons & exercises
- Practice anytime on web, iOS & Android
- Track your anxiety and progress over time
- Adults & children versions
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With a Therapist
Guided by a specialist, covered by many insurance plans
- Everything in Self-Guided, plus:
- Live video sessions with a phobia specialist
- Message your therapist anytime between sessions
- 10 weeks of Bia app access included
- Covered by most major insurance plans
Everything you need to overcome School Phobia
Self-Guided Recovery
Your complete program for School Phobia
- Step-by-step exposure program for School Phobia
- Evidence-based lessons & exercises
- Practice anytime on web, iOS & Android
- Track your anxiety and progress over time
- Adults & children versions
Already working with a therapist?
Bia works perfectly alongside your existing therapy. Use it between sessions to practise exposures and reinforce what you're learning.
Start your programAre you a therapist?
Assign Bia exercises to your patients, track their progress between sessions, and supplement your practice with our provider portal.
Access provider portal →A program designed for you
For Individuals with School Phobia
A personalized, self-paced program to help you reclaim the life you deserve. Work through structured lessons, exercises, and activities at your own pace.
Start your programFor Parents Supporting a Child
Bia's kids program uses age-appropriate exercises and engaging characters to help children face fears with parent lessons and support at every step.
Learn about Bia for kidsFor Clinicians Using Bia With Patients
Assign exposure, track patient progress, and access curated hierarchies for your clients through the provider portal.
View provider portalPartners and Conferences
Bia is built in collaboration with leading academic researchers and found at national clinical conferences.
ADAA 2026 Symposium Presentation
NASP 2026 Miniskills Presentation
This photo was my first time ever on a boat, something I had avoided for over 27 years. I loved it.
I Believe You Can Recover
Hello, my name is Willy, founder of Bia. I suffered from emetophobia for most of my life and know first hand the misery and loneliness it can cause. During my recovery I built a tool to track my progress and help me practice. Over four years this tool transformed into Bia, now used by people around the world. I'm happy to share I have recovered from phobia and I believe you can too.
Bia was built by parents and clinicians who've watched kids miss months of school to anxiety. The pattern repeats and the fix has a shape. Bia gives you the shape.
Enjoying my first trip to Hawaii, a place I always wanted to go but never thought I'd be able to get to.
From Bia User to Co-Founder
My name is Elizabeth, and I am Co-Founder of Bia. I came across an early version of Bia while working through my own phobia recovery and became one of its first users. I was already seeing a therapist, but once I added daily guided-exposure practice with Bia the impact on my recovery was immediate. I've since partnered with Willy to leverage my health-care background to build and expand Bia, and it's been incredibly meaningful to see the tool help others just as it helped me.
Frequently asked questions about school phobia
Should I force my child to go?
Forcing usually backfires. Bia teaches the graduated approach: partial days, supported drop-offs, building back up. It's slower but it works.
What if there's actually bullying or a learning issue?
Important to rule that out first. School phobia is the diagnosis after those are addressed. Bia includes guidance on what to investigate before assuming anxiety.
Is this the same as separation anxiety?
Often related. Younger children's school phobia is usually separation-driven; older children's is more often social or specific.
How can I help if I work full time?
Bia is designed for working parents. The structured plan reduces the daily decision-making and gives you scripts for the moments that count.
Is it possible to overcome school phobia?
Yes. Research shows, recovery from phobia is possible. You don't have to settle for life with phobia.
What does it mean to overcome a phobia?
Imagine a life where phobia does not influence your decisions. Where you can go where you want, eat what you want, and do what you want without anxiety, or fear.
Can I use Bia by myself?
Yes. Bia is designed to work as a self-guided tool. It provides a personalized recovery plan, interactive lessons, and step-by-step guided exercises for practicing evidence-based recovery techniques.
Can I use Bia with a therapist?
Yes. Bia works great along side therapy. Your therapist can use our provider portal to personalize your recovery plan, assign custom exercises, and monitor your progress.
We can help you connect with a therapist near you. Get Connected
I am nervous to try it.
We built Bia to lower the barrier to the path of recovery. Bia never tricks, traps, or forces you in any way. The journey is built of small, incremental steps. You control the pace and order of your journey.
How long does it take?
Individual sessions on Bia are short and take 5 to 15 minutes. Bia builds a personalized step-by-step journey based on your unique needs, so completing the full journey is different for everyone. Typically, a journey includes over 55 exercises and 19 lessons across 9 milestones.
How much does it cost?
Bia is free to try. A subscription is required to unlock your full journey. If you are using Bia with a therapist, you may be eligible to receive Bia for free as part of your treatment. Ask your therapist today.
If you have an HSA/FSA plan, you can use it to purchase Bia by first receiving a letter of medical necessity from our partner, Flex. Use HSA/FSA
Ready to start?
Choose your path to recovery
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