When is Child Therapy Effective?

If a parent or guardian is not sure whether the child needs counseling or not, the list of symptoms below can be a good indicator. If the child is experiencing one or more of these symptoms, coupled with the parent’s concern, it’s a good idea to take him or her in for an evaluation.

The following are symptoms that may indicate a problem that therapy can correct or help with:

• Unwarranted aggression;
• Incontinence;
• Difficulty adjusting to social situations;
• Frequent nightmare and sleep difficulties;
• A sudden drop in grades at school;
• Persistent worry and anxiety;
• Withdrawing from activities they normally enjoy;
• Loss of appetite or dramatic weight loss/gain;
• Performing obsessive routines like hand washing;
• Expressing thoughts of suicide;
• Talking about voices they hear in their head;
• Social isolation and wanting to be alone;
• Alcohol or drug use;
• Increased physical complaints despite a normal, healthy physician’s report;
• Self-harm such as cutting (TherapyTribe, 2018).

In addition to these issues, the child may be dealing with:

• Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness;
• Constant anger and a tendency to overreact to situations;
• Preoccupation with physical illness or their own appearance;
• An inability to concentrate, think clearly or make decisions;
• An inability to sit still;
• Diets or binging behavior;
• Violent acts such as setting fires or killing animals (Thompson Jr., 2010).

If parents decide to bring their child to therapy, they need to stay engaged throughout the therapy process.

Similarly, there are some suggestions on how to talk to a child about going to counseling. It can feel uncomfortable to both the parent(s) and the child to talk about mental health treatment, but following these tips can help make it approachable:

• Find a good time to talk and assure them that they are not in trouble. Listen actively.
• Take your child’s concerns, experiences, and emotions seriously.
• Try to be open, authentic, and relaxed.
• Talk about how common the issues they are experiencing may be.
• Explain that the role of a therapist is to provide help and support.
• Explain that a confidentiality agreement can be negotiated so children—especially adolescents—have a safe space to share details privately while acknowledging that you will be alerted if there are any threats to their safety

There are many effective forms of child therapy with evidence to back them up, including Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Family Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, and Organization Training 

Younger children may also benefit from Play Therapy, and older adolescents may benefit from Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Group Therapy, or Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.

For More Mental Health resources visit our Mental Health Hub.

Social Health is at an all time confused state!

Unplug Your Family

Spending too much screen time and not enough together with your family?  Here is this months “get unplugged” activity that will get everyone onboard with this year in a memorable way today and in the future to come!

Capture the moment

What if you made something to help your family remember the significance of this time in 2020, with a COVID-19 time capsule. Keep in mind that you don’t need to spend any money or make any special trips. What will really make it special are the stories you’ll tell along with each of the items years from now. 

Gather everything, put the items in a box, and then stick it in the attic or back of a closet to be forgotten. Years from now, you’ll have an amazing discovery to share with your family.

Some potential items to include: 

• Lysol wipe
• A couple squares of toilet paper
• List of the shows you binge-watched on Netflix
• Recipe for a dish you made using creative substitutions
• Evidence of games or activities you did as a family, like a Yahtzee score card
• Handprint tracing of everyone in the family
• Description of the craziest or most out-of-the-box game or activity you created 
• A letter describing how you’re feeling and what life is like
• A list of questions. EG:the longest amount of time you went without leaving the house, or the number of stores that didn’t have toilet paper in stock.