“Instead of raising children who turn out okay despite their childhood, let’s raise children who turn out extraordinary because of their childhood.” ~L. R. Knost
Child Therapy
Finding a child therapist.
Finding a therapist for your child can be scary and challenging. How do you even know if your child needs therapy? As a proactive measure, if your child is facing a stressful situation or going through a challenging life change, they could very likely benefit from child counseling. Examples of this might be:
a recent divorce
a move
a change of school
struggles in school or sports
a new marriage/blended family
the loss of a loved one
the move of a loved one
the birth of a new sibling
effects of the pandemic
Support from a specialized child therapist would always be recommended if your child has experienced trauma in anyway including:
physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
active substance abuse by a parent or close family member
domestic violence witnessing
witnessing or hearing about the abuse of a friend of loved one
bullying
a traumatic accident or witnessing an accident
If none of these obvious stressors, traumas or transitions have recently occurred, then observing your child’s behavior would be another key.
The younger your child, the less language and ability to verbally express their feelings they will have. That doesn’t mean your child isn’t feeling big feelings! That just means they may not have words to express those big feelings and tell you what’s wrong. As a result, you may see an increase in your child’s acting out behaviors because those big feelings don’t feel good! Child therapy can help to teach your child about their feelings, to help them learn to recognize them and give them words for those feelings while also teaching coping skills to help them manage those feelings in a healthy way, rather than acting out in response to them. Some examples of those acting out behaviors include:
increased or longer tantrums
increased irritability
frequent crying or sadness
excessive worry
changes in sleep patterns (sleeping less or sleeping more)
changes in eating patterns (also can be less or more)
school issues (behavioral issues at school or camp, grade changes)
self-harm (cutting, scratching, picking skin, pulling out hair)
physical manifestations like headaches or stomachaches that start occurring every day without resolution for more than 2 weeks
Even if your child can’t verbally tell you what’s wrong, they are telling you.
Their behaviors and ways they interact with you, their teachers and their friends send you clues that they need some extra support and that a child therapist might be a great fit.
Not every therapist has the training and experience to work with young children (despite what your insurance company may be trying to suggest to you!).
Child therapy should not look like adult therapy and a child therapist’s office should not look like an adult therapist’s office!
Child therapists are trained to use games, play, art, and other non-verbal ways to help children address challenges and concerns in a non-threatening and often fun way that allows them to process, learn and explore on their terms. I take pride in creating a space that children love to come and feel safe, nurtured and supported while exploring hard and uncomfortable things. Give me a call today to see how I can help! I have over 20 years of experience working as a child therapist and have worked directly with children who have experienced everything listed above and more. I would love to see how I can help your child build resilience and thrive!