Im texting back and forth with the mother right now on her lunch break as she asks for an update. I asked if she has contacted anyone yet, given that she just had a week off work so she would have had time. She said her husband wanted to hold off contacting anyone in the hopes of her snapping out of it.

I said that is fair enough given that children for the most part go through phases, but when a child is suffering from anxiety and is clearly distressed, and the fact that this is getting progressively worse, time is of the essence. What is the worst that can happen by asking for outside help vs the potential of things getting worse if it is left alone and ignored.