Sometimes kids, like adults, can benefit from therapy. Therapy can help kids develop problem-solving skills and also teach them the value of seeking help. Therapists can help kids and families cope with stress and a variety of emotional and behavioral issues.
Many kids need help dealing with school stress, such as homework, test anxiety, bullying, or peer pressure. Others need help to discuss their feelings about family issues, particularly if there's a major transition, such as a divorce, move, or serious illness.
Therapy with children is very different from that with adults as children often express their feelings and concerns in more symbolic than verbal forms. Young children with behavior or family difficulties don't always feel comfortable in what is known as traditional "talk" therapy. To help these kids, therapists take them into an especially equipped Play Room and talk with them there while they interact with the toys.
Because of this, use of art or play is often an effective means to begin to understand the child and help them re-work their ideas and feelings into ways that are more adaptive for them. The therapist's role is often as a guide to help the child to strive to move to more mature developmental levels. Family dynamics are often played out in the child's mind and behavior where it then becomes essential to also have family meetings.
When children are distressed, they out through their natural method of processing -- play. For example, when a divorce is happening in the family, a child may use the dolls in the doll house to play out a scene where the parents are fighting. This gives the therapist the opportunity to talk with the child about the feelings this kind of situation stimulates in him.
Play Therapy is a widely-accepted, very effective tool for helping children in problematic life situations learn to express their feelings and explore coping skills. The therapy can be helpful in dealing with a wide range of problems from simple environmental stress to more severe behavior difficulties. In order to benefit from this kind of therapy, children need to be somewhat verbal and able to interact meaningfully with the therapist.
Why is this important? Even talkative and intelligent children are not always developmentally able to express and work through their feelings verbally like adults. Play therapy allows children to use their natural creativity and ability to heal in ways best suited to their developmental level. Through the use of dolls, puppets, trucks, artwork, games and other toys, children share their experiences and give the therapist a view of the world through their eyes.
It is also essential for the therapist to be well-grounded not only in behavioral and child psychological development, but also in the neurologic and medical aspects of the psychiatric problems commonly seen in children. In addition to the personality and developmental-phase behavioral problems that are often expressed in the child's relationships with others, these problems include Learning Disorders, Communication Disorders, Pervasive Developmental Disorders (Autism, Asberger's Disorder, and other related Autistic disorders), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD), Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Tourette's and Tic Disorders, Separation Anxiety Disorders, etc. Depression and anxiety disorders that are most commonly seen in adults may also be seen in children with slightly different presentations than that seen in adults; and it often takes a well-experienced therapist to make these distinctions.
Family therapy can be helpful in many cases, such as when family members aren't getting along; disagree or argue often; or when a child or teen is having behavior problems. Family therapy involves counseling sessions with some, or all, family members, helping to improve communication skills among them. Treatment focuses on problem-solving techniques and can help parents re-establish their role as authority figures.
If you are wanting help, our counseling center provides individual, group, couples, and family counseling.
There are two ways to setup an appointment with one of our counselors:
1) Fill out the Contact Form and a counselor will call you with 24-hours; 2) Call our offices at 303-933-5800.