How Child Therapy Can Help Your Family

If you are concerned about your child due to a variety of reasons, a child therapy session could help. Often, children exhibit signs of distress or unhappiness but are not emotionally mature enough to express those feelings correctly and are unable to explain why they are feeling this way. If you have questions concerning how your child has been acting, changes in behavior, or your child seems generally unsettled, we can interact with your child in a way they understand and are comfortable with. There are many therapeutic practices and activities that can determine the root of a problem without your child having to directly express it. As a parent, it can be challenging to know when a child needs to see a counselor, but there is a long list of reasons you should consider child therapy. These reasons are common indicators that a child may need to visit a therapist so a family can learn more about what is going on in the child’s life. A few common reasons parents and their children visit our office are:

• Custody reasons
• Parents are going through a separation or divorce
• There has been a death in the family or a favorite pet has passed away
• A guardian is relocating the family
• Child is being left out or bullied at school or child is bullying others
• Child has a delay in speech development or a learning disability is a possibility
• Child has started to receive poor grades following a good academic record
• Child is experiencing intense anger, having episodes of sadness or depression, is acting out or becoming physically abusive, has mood swings, or is displaying signs of an eating disorder
• Child does not have the desire to be involved socially and has recently stopped doing things he/she enjoys
• Child cannot sleep
• Child has a sudden change in appetite or clothing style
• Child has been diagnosed with a serious or potentially terminal disease, or a family member or close friend is terminally ill
• Child is displaying signs of drug abuse
• Child has been abused physically, emotionally, or sexually
• Child has adamantly expressed they do not want to speak with their parents about a problem and prefer a more confidential atmosphere

When a child is experiencing behavioral challenges, it can affect the entire family, causing problems with your other children and distracting you from other important daily matters like work. Seeking out child therapy can help unearth the origin of a problem so a family will know how to approach the subject and communicate with the child in a more beneficial way. In some cases, a child may actually have a learning disorder or mental disability that parents are unaware of, that can be discovered through therapy. In situations of autism, ADHD, or other common disorders, it can benefit the family to know how to interact with a child on their level in a way that is not threatening to them. Receiving child therapy can encourage your child to succeed in school and daily life. It can also offer them a contentment they may have been previously missing. To learn more about child therapy and how it can help your family, contact our clinic.