What Is A Child Focused Therapist?
The training child focused therapists receive allows them to address the possibility of mental illness, the display of emotional dysregulation, and the behavioral patterns of children.
While Children's Mental Health Awareness Week is celebrated every first week of May, it can be advantageous to know the importance of children's mental health at any time of the year. Across the US, many children receive mental health services each year. In 2019, 10% of children between the ages of five and 17 participated in child counseling with a mental health professional. Of that number, many were young children. The source found that 10.8% of young children between the ages of five and 11 had received treatment through therapy, medication, or a combination.
Although many parents may believe that only children that have experienced trauma, loss, or mental illness may benefit from therapy, any child can talk to a child counselor. Therapy can improve their well-being by helping them understand daily struggles and develop life-long healthy coping skills.
If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.
Tips for parents considering therapy for their child
There are different types of mental health professionals that work with children and teens. Therapists use talk therapy and a variety of other therapeutic approaches for teaching new skills and providing emotional support. A clinical child psychologist focuses on scientific knowledge about the psychology of children and adolescents, and may partake in continuing education to stay apprised of the latest research into child and adolescent psychology. Social workers are trained in human resources and social justice in addition to psychology and human behavior. What to expect during sessions will depend on a number of factors.
Pay attention to how your child feels after sessions
Caregivers may assume that their child will feel better after talking to someone for the first time, and, at times, that may occur. However, there could be times when the session brings up distressing feelings for your child. These feelings can be essential for them to discuss, but they can also make your child feel upset or overwhelmed after the fact, as children often do not know how to control their emotions as adults do. In these instances, an emotion chart for kids can be helpful for them to visualize their feelings, emotions, and behavior. After therapy, be there to support your child. Therapy may not be easy, but with a suitable counselor, your child can meet their goals and make improvements.
You could also explain to them on the way to therapy that they might sometimes feel upset after sessions and that their emotions are normal and okay. Some parents might also choose to take their child to a fun activity after counseling to help them associate therapy with rewards. For example, you could go to the zoo or buy ice cream.
Look out for resistance
Your child may say that they do not want to go to therapy before the session. Listen to your instincts and ask yourself questions. Do you see improvements? What kind of feedback are you getting from the therapist? If the resistance becomes a pattern, talk to the counselor about solutions and consider asking your child how you can make therapy a more positive experience for them.
Listen to the therapist’s advice
A therapist may not tell everything a child states in sessions with their parents. However, they could offer parenting advice if they notice areas where the family could participate in the child’s treatment plan. They may also suggest parenting tactics to aid in your child’s challenges. You can count on them if you're someone who is still preparing for parenthood or just wants some guidance. It may benefit you not to think of their advice as an intrusion or a reprimand but as part of the mental health services the counselor is providing.
Consider family therapy
There may be times when the therapist suggests a session of family therapy. For younger children, the whole family may be involved. Older children may prefer individual therapy. However, regardless of your child’s age, the counselor may ask for you to participate in sessions to facilitate a conversation with your child about a subject involving the family unit as a whole.
Adolescent psychiatry
Treatment for kids and teens can be a little different because kids learn in different ways as they get older. Many counselors are trained on how to provide treatment for both children and teens, but some may specialize in one or the other. Adolescent psychology focuses on the unique needs of teenagers.
Older kids may benefit from occupational therapy, social skills training, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), and other therapies designed to improve skills and interpersonal relationships. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is also an option for treating child and adolescent mental health conditions. Dialectical behavior therapy teaches kids new skills for coping with big emotions in a healthy way and replacing maladaptive responses with more positive behaviors.
According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adolescents may respond well to family therapy. Family disputes and communication issues can be a cause of stress for teens. In family therapy, they learn healthy ways to resolve conflicts at home. Interpersonal psychology (IPT) is also recommended for teens because it focuses on improving interpersonal relationships.
How to find counseling as a parent
Studies have shown that online counseling can help parents with children experiencing mental health issues. In one study published in Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, researchers examined the efficacy of online therapy in supporting parents in interacting with their children exhibiting symptoms of behavioral disorders. Researchers found that online counseling services fostered better communication and interactions between parents and children and provided valuable tools that might not have otherwise been available to underserved families.
If you are ready to begin a treatment program for your child or seek parent-child interaction therapy, online counseling is available. With tele-mental health services through a platform like BetterHelp for adults, you can speak with a therapist from home at a time that works for you. In addition, you can take advantage of a messaging feature to send messages to your provider at any time. If you’re looking for online services for a teen aged 13 to 19, you can also consider signing up your child for a platform like TeenCounseling, which offers the same benefits as BetterHelp.
Counselor reviews
“I have been working with Carolyn for 6 months now, and have tremendously benefited from her pediatric counseling as I support my daughter for Anorexia. Anorexia is a very complex mind-body illness and the families can play a very important role in the recovery by educating ourselves and understanding her behavior. This allows me to use correct words with her, and watch by own behavior with her so I am supporting her in a healthy manner, and not enabling her illness further.
In addition to our weekly video chats, I am able to send her quick texts on the BetterHelp app if an issue arises and I need her thoughts, and Carolyn replies back very quickly with more tips to help me.
Thank you Carolyn, and thank you BetterHelp for being here for me!”
“Tammi has made such a difference in my life. Had I not had her help I’m pretty sure I would’ve lost all contact with my 19 year old daughter who chose to live with her father. She understands teenagers and moms of teenagers! So kind, wise, experienced, compassionate, and level headed, I can’t say enough good about her!!”
Takeaway
Why is childhood important in therapy?
Exploring childhood experiences is essential in therapy because it is during this time that we typically form our foundational beliefs and patterns of behavior. Both positive and negative experiences in childhood can have a lasting impact on a person’s mental and emotional well-being well into adulthood. When we have unresolved negative childhood experiences, it can affect how we perform at work, cope with adversity, approach our relationships, and how we think about ourselves.
Why does my therapist want to talk about my childhood?
By talking about your childhood, your therapist can help you gain insight into how your childhood experiences shaped your current thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This can help you heal from past trauma, improve symptoms of a mental health condition, develop healthier coping mechanisms, or simply understand yourself better. Additionally, childhood experiences often lay the groundwork for our attachment style and how we relate to others, so exploring these experiences can also help you improve your relationships.
Why is therapy important for youth?
Like their adult counterparts, young people can experience a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. However, their challenges are unique and often depend on which phase of development they are in. For example, adolescents have the added complications of hormonal changes associated with puberty, seeking more independence from their families, stressors related to academic performance and peers, and the complications around body image promoted by social media. Young people can benefit from therapy by learning to understand their emotions, develop healthy self-esteem, and build solid relationships— all to cope better with these challenging situations.
Can a therapist hug a child?
Whether a child therapist should hug their client depends on many factors, such as age and cultural influence. However, it is typically discouraged unless the therapist has prior consent from the parents or caregivers and the child requests a hug.
Should kids see a therapist?
It can be beneficial for children to see a therapist if they are experiencing mental health issues that impact their daily lives. For example, if a child is having challenges managing strong emotions that create behavioral outbursts at school. In many cases, a therapist can provide support, guidance, and tools to help children develop strategies for coping with challenges as they arise.
Is a therapist like a parent?
Therapists are trained professionals who use evidence-based methods to help clients address their mental health concerns and work toward personal growth and healing. Therapists don’t typically have a parental role in a client’s life, as their primary focus is on supporting the client in their therapeutic journey.
While your therapist can’t be your parent, it isn’t uncommon for clients to see their therapist as a parental figure because they provide emotional support, guidance, and a safe space to explore their feelings and experiences. This is typically referred to as transference.
Why is child therapy important?
Therapists can teach children how to understand their feelings and why they influence behaviors, with the aim of helping them learn to cope with difficulties and change unwanted or problem behaviors on their own eventually. Child therapists also typically work with families to teach them how to better support their children in managing mental health challenges.
Why do we need therapy?
Whether one “needs” therapy or not depends on their unique challenges, but it can be beneficial in many ways, including:
- Mental health concerns
Many people choose to see a therapist because they need help managing a mental health condition such as anxiety, depression, trauma, or phobia. A therapist can provide support, coping strategies, and tools for patients to manage symptoms and improve overall well-being.
- Relationship issues
Therapy can help people navigate relationship challenges, strengthen communication skills, and improve conflict resolution skills. If necessary, therapy can also help individuals learn to develop healthier boundaries in relationships.
- Trauma, grief, loss
Therapy can help individuals with trauma process and heal from experiences such as the death of a loved one or sudden loss due to a natural disaster.
- Major life transitions
Significant life changes such as having a baby, moving somewhere new, starting a new job, or getting married can be stressful and overwhelming. Therapy can help individuals manage that stress and build resilience.
- Self-exploration and personal growth
Therapy can be a valuable tool for people who want to explore their values, beliefs, thoughts, and feelings as they work toward personal growth. Therapy can help people develop more self-esteem and confidence. In some types of therapy, individuals work with a counselor to set and achieve specific self-improvement goals.
How does therapy help?
Neuroplasticity is the underlying mechanism for what makes therapy effective— the brain’s ability to change in structure and function according to the types of experiences we’re exposed to and what we learn throughout our lives. These types of influences can be damaging and create mental health challenges, or they can be positive and fortify an individual with better emotional and mental resiliency.
As such, when an individual struggling with mental health issues attends therapy regularly for an extended amount of time, it can modify the brain’s structure and function in ways that are beneficial and lead to better well-being.
For example, science has established a connection between abnormalities in specific brain regions and psychiatric disorders. Multiple neuroimaging studies reveal significant changes in those areas after cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of therapy that helps patients recognize unhelpful or dysfunctional thoughts and learn how to reframe them into healthier, more productive ones that improve mental health.
How do you prepare a child for therapy?
Letting your child know what they can expect when they meet their therapist is the best way to help put them at ease. How you do this will depend on their age, temperament, maturity level, and why you’re going.
For example, if your child is younger, you might say something like, “We’re going to a doctor— but instead of one who will listen to your heart and look in your ears, they will ask how you’re feeling.” Or if your child is having issues with learning, you might explain the doctor will find ways to help them learn better. If you think a doctor analogy will make them uneasy, you could refer to their therapist as a “talking coach” if they play a sport or a counselor if they sometimes talk to the school counselor.
If you aren’t sure how to approach your child, you might consider reaching out to their therapist to ask for advice, especially if you aren’t sure what to expect, either. While the therapist will likely need to assess your child, their symptoms, and their needs before developing a diagnosis and treatment plan, it might help to ask where you can find educational materials on the most common types of therapy used by child psychologists, such as play therapy or behavioral therapy.
Normalizing therapy for your child might also help put them at ease. For example, if they have a relative who speaks to a mental health professional, you could mention that by saying something like “Uncle __ goes to a talking coach to help him feel better when he’s worried.”
- Previous Article
- Next Article