At our first appointment, Dr.

Lewis explained that children often express complicated fears through play, sleep disturbances, or questions repeated many times.

She said Chloe should decide how quickly to share her feelings and that the adults must not push her toward a preferred story.

“Your job is not to make her accept every new person immediately,” she told me.

“Your job is to be consistent while she learns the adults can handle the uncertainty.”

After the appointment, Chloe asked whether she’d done well.