Child & Adolescent Counseling
Child counselling is aimed to help children make sense of what is going on in their minds, bodies, and lives – in a way that they can understand.
What is Child Counseling?
Child counseling is a type of talk therapy that focuses on young children, teens, and adolescents. Many of the issues these children face mimic the issues adults face in their day-to-day lives. Some of these common issues include anxiety, depression, and grief. The goal of child counseling, however, is to break down problems into manageable parts, so children can better understand and cope with them.
A Psychiatrist who has been trained in child Psychiatry can offer invaluable insight into your child’s social and emotional development and mental health. It is important to understand that many times “glitches” in these areas may not be visible to the people closest to the child. That is where a child Psychiatrist can come in.
Child Psychiatrists have the knowledge and expertise to recognize, identify, pinpoint, assess, diagnose, and treat a wide range of mental health conditions, adjustment issues (divorce, new school, bullying, grief, etc.), and psychological distress.
What are the Functions of Child Psychiatrist?
A child Psychiatrist perform many services to vulnerable youth. It is important to understand that children, who are suffering from mental health issues or psychological distress, may not share these concerns with their parents. That doesn’t happen because your child doesn’t love you; rather, it occurs because he/she fears disappointing you.
Therefore, the aim of child counselling is to help children better interpret the issues they are experiencing and/or the trauma that occurred – in a way they can process and understand. When a child’s social and emotional issues and psychological distress are left untreated, it can negatively impact his/her educational aspirations and developmental milestones.
Ultimately, this form of counseling aims to help children work through their emotions, so they can live normal healthy lives without the lasting effects of fear, confusion, anxiety, or trauma.
? When Should You Seek Child Counseling for Your Child?
You should seek counseling for your child, when you notice that your child is struggling or behaving uncharacteristically. A child Psychiatrist will teach him/her helpful techniques that place his/her mental health and well-being at center stage.
Some of the most common issues addressed in child counselling are:
• Divorce
• Grief and the death of a loved one, pet, home, etc.
• Witnessing or experiencing a trauma event
• Mental health conditions and psychological distress (i.e. anxiety and depression)
• Bullying
• Sexual, emotional, and/or physical abuse
• Relocation issues (i.e. changing schools, homes, families, and/or cities/states)
• Family substance abuse or addiction
How Can You Tell If Your Child Needs Counseling?
Well, there are some signs that may signal that your child needs counseling. For instance, a child, who has begun to act “out of character” and/or one who has suddenly begun to have developmental problems or rebel – in ways that are not considered “normal behavior” for children of that age, may need to talk to a professional.
In addition, if your child has experienced a significant trauma (i.e. abuse, the death of a loved one or pet, uprooting, divorce, chronic illness, etc.) recently or in the past, but has not received treatment or therapy for it, he/she will most likely benefit from child counseling.
So, what are some signs that my child is in distress and could benefit from counseling?
Common signs of mental health issues or psychological distress include:
• Unprovoked aggression
• Leakage of urine
• Difficulty adjusting to social situations and/or new situations
• Recurrent nightmares, night terrors, and/or sleep difficulties like insomnia
• Low grades or a sudden academic decline
• Constant worry and anxiety
• Social withdraw from activities your child once liked or loved to do
• A noticeable and/or sudden loss of appetite and/or extreme weight loss
• Repetitively performing rituals and routines like hand-washing
• Suicidal ideations (thoughts) or attempts
• Your child responds to voices he/she hears in his/her head
• Spending most of his/her time alone or engaging in voluntary social isolation
• Alcohol and/or drug use, abuse, or addiction
• Increased physical complaints, despite a healthy report from a medical professional
• Engaging in self-harm practices, such as cutting oneself
Anxiety
One of the main benefits of counseling for children is that it teaches them how to effectively manage emotional distress and anxiety – by themselves.
For example, an anxious child may learn breathing exercises, stress management/relaxation techniques for when he/she gets “worked up,” how to control his/her muscles, so they do not tense up when he/she is stressed, positive self-talk, and the importance of talking to someone when feeling overwhelmed, mentally exhausted, confused, distressed, depressed, and/or anxious.
Therefore, counseling can provide your child with an important toolbox of coping mechanisms that he/she can use when he/she experiences anxiety.
Trauma
The negative and heart-breaking effects of trauma can include shock, disbelief, detachment, emotional or social numbness, fear, anxiety, and depression. And, unfortunately, in some cases, it can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
PTSD symptoms may include a strong desire to avoid trauma-related people and/or places, intense and upsetting memories, flashbacks, and/or nightmares, sleep issues like insomnia, and uncontrollable anger, aggression, and/or agitation. The good news is child counseling can give children suffering from PTSD and outlet to share their feelings, fears, and concerns, instead of keeping them bottled up inside.
Counseling can help these children understand that they are not to blame for what happened to them. They are survivors – not victims or perpetrators.
Divorce
When a marital union ends, it can be very distressing for a child. In fact, it is common for children to blame themselves for the divorce. It is also common for these children to feel that because they caused the end of the marriage, they are unlovable.
Then there’s the unfortunate consequence of divorce – child custody issues. Sometimes custody arrangements are amicable, but sometimes they are tense – a custody battle between parents.
Having to choose between parents can make children feel uneasy, anxious, and guilty, especially when it comes to who they want to live with. The child often feel sad, confused, distressed, and overwhelmed.
Child counselling can help children tide over these difficult times.
Grief
The death of a loved one, pet, friend, home, school, and/or health can lead to a considerable amount of grief. If it is distressing to an adult, you know it’s ten times worse for a child, who does not have the maturity level, life experiences, or coping mechanisms that an adult has.
For children going through the grieving process, it can be extremely difficult & in fact, they may become enveloped in confusing, conflicting, and fluctuating feelings like numbness, denial, loss, sadness, despair, depression, anxiety, and anger/rage.
These children may develop irrational thought patterns like they too will die or someone else they love will leave. They may honestly believe that the loss was due to something they did or did not do. Furthermore, they may feel immeasurable guilt that they could have done something to prevent the loss – but did not.
Psychiatrists explain to children that grief is a normal emotion that often comes in waves. They also explain to children that it’s important to experience them to heal from the loss.
Change
For many children, change (i.e. changing schools, moving to a new city or state, being adopted or entering the foster care system, remarriage, divorce, going to live with another relative, the loss of a loved one or pet, etc.) can be traumatic.
Adults, like you and me, have the tools to accept and adapt to these changes, but many times, children don’t. So, although changes may not significantly impair your ability to function, it may have a totally different effect on your child.
What effect? Well, children, who have experienced a significant change in their lives, may have a hard time expressing how they really feel about it. More specifically, a big change can lead to anxiety, low self-esteem, self-doubt, uncertainty, anxiety, depression, fear, phobia, worry, and/or anger/rage towards their parents – and everyone else.
While these are normal reactions to change, in general, some children may have a hard time moving past these feelings by themselves. That’s where child counseling comes into play.
Low Self-Esteem & Self-Confidence
The truth is some children struggle with low self-esteem and self-confidence. When this occurs, it can also lead to anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, and even thoughts of self-harm and suicide. A child with low self-esteem may feel unlovable, empty, and worthless.
As a result, he/she may begin to believe that his/her loved ones and friends would be “better off” without them. A Child Psychiatrist can help this child improve his/her self-esteem and self-confidence.
What are the Different Types of Child Counseling?
There are many different types of child counseling, such as cognitive-behavior therapy, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy, and alternative therapies.
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT)
The goal of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is to help children change negative thought patterns and behaviors by reframing the way they think about issues and events. The aim is to help children convert negative thoughts into more positive ones, so they can have a healthier response to the issues, themselves, and the world around them.
More specifically, CBT encourages children to challenge their belief systems, when it comes to themselves, so they can accurately view themselves and the situation through a more realistic and positive lens. Therefore, CBT can provide your child with the tools he/she needs to effectively cope with challenging and stressful situations when they arise.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
The goal of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is to help children heal from the effects of trauma. Similar to CBT, children are taught how to view the trauma in a more realistic manner – without blaming themselves.
TF-CBT also teaches children techniques they can use if they experience a flashback, with the goal of working through those memories from a place of control and understanding. As a result, TF-CBT can provide your child with the ability to use these tools when or if they become distressed from the memory of the trauma.
Alternative Therapies
A child, who is experiencing mental health issues or psychological distress may benefit from alternative therapies like music and/or art therapy, exercise, sports therapy, movement therapy, equine therapy, mindfulness, and/or aquatic therapy.