{"id":3431,"date":"2021-08-16T19:33:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T19:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/?p=3431"},"modified":"2021-08-16T19:33:18","modified_gmt":"2021-08-16T19:33:18","slug":"kids-and-therapy-when-to-go-and-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/?p=3431","title":{"rendered":"Kids and Therapy:  When to Go and What to Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>by Jessica King , LCSW<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We want to see our kids happy, healthy, and enjoying new life experiences each day.\u00a0 We want our children to achieve their highest potential and reach for their dreams.\u00a0 Most importantly we want our children to be resilient.\u00a0 We want them to be able to meet challenging experiences and have the skills needed to cope and eventually thrive despite stressful life experiences.\u00a0 The work of being a parent is knowing how to support the growth of resilience in our kids.\u00a0 This work is twofold: knowing when our kids are struggling and then knowing what to do in response.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KNOWING WHEN TO GO TO THERAPY:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children experience stress just as adults do.\u00a0 Some stressors can be helpful to building a capable and resilient human being.\u00a0 Stressors in which the child has all the resources needed to meet the challenge can provide motivation to a larger goal.\u00a0 This can in turn provide the child with a sense of agency and empowerment.\u00a0 When a child meets a stressor in which they do not have the resources necessary to successfully complete the task then they may become overwhelmed and the distress involved can impact overall functioning.\u00a0 These are the times that a licensed therapist can help you and your child build a system of resources that will support them in meeting the everyday stressors of their life.\u00a0 Children often do not have the language to verbalize how they feel or what they need.\u00a0 In these situations, we have to be attuned to our children and recognize the distress and overwhelm by our own observations.\u00a0 Children typically present distress in two ways:\u00a0 externalized behaviors or internalized behaviors<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Externalized behaviors often look like<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">temper tantrums<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">verbal aggression<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">getting in trouble at school<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">problems with peers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unsafe or risky behaviors<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internalized symptoms are often harder to see and may be masked by another perceived problem.\u00a0 Things like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">difficulty sleeping<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nail biting<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chronic stomach aches<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">withdrawing from activities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dramatic changes in mood<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These behaviors and symptoms are red flags that our kids may need extra support to navigate a difficult situation.\u00a0 Part of this support system may be therapy.\u00a0 Individual and family therapy can help kids gain important skills including identifying emotions in themselves and others; social skills to meet new friends and get along better with others at school; conflict resolution skills to manage problems at home and school; effective communication skills; anger management; and, managing anxiety effectively.\u00a0 Additionally, parenting support can help you feel more confident in supporting your child as he or she navigates life\u2019s changes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WHAT TO EXPECT<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you reach out to a therapist for support, you should expect a brief phone consultation to make sure your needs will align with the therapist\u2019s skill set.\u00a0 Just because you schedule the appointment does not mean you have to stay with this therapist forever.\u00a0 Know that you and your child are in the driver\u2019s seat and if the therapeutic relationship does not seem to fit, you can always try a new therapist.\u00a0 The connection and relationship is often the most important part.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In your first appointment, the therapist will want to hear from both you and your child about your perspective of the problems, things that are going well, and gain a clear understanding about the goals you both have related to therapy.\u00a0 Some therapists meet with the whole family to start and others explore goals individually.\u00a0 After knowing your goals, the therapist will then make some suggestions in regards to frequency of appointments and style of therapy that could be helpful.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are different types of therapy that your therapist can explore with you and your child.\u00a0 Some of these are:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Child Centered Play Therapy &#8211; Play therapy helps children to address and resolve their own problems, and builds on the natural way that children learn about themselves and their relationships in the world around them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/cognitive-behavioral-therapy\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cognitive Behavioral Therapy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CBT is grounded in the belief that it is a person\u2019s perception of events \u2013 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rather than the events themselves<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 that determines how he or she will feel and act in response.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Art Therapy &#8211; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Art therapy can allow you to access and express yourself without the limitations of language<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/counseling-for-trauma\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trauma Focused Therapies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Trauma focused therapies like TF-CBT and EMDR can be helpful to the child or family who has been through a significant adjustment or experience in their life that has left them feeling hopeless, helpless, or out of control<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mindfulness based skills &#8211; Learning skills of present moment awareness can help decrease anxiety, improve mood, and enhance focus for children<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, know that as the parent, you are essential to the therapeutic process.\u00a0 The therapist may want to meet with you individually or with your child to support their growth and development of insight.\u00a0 If needed, skills such as positive parenting or conscious parenting may be taught and practiced with you so that you become your child\u2019s greatest resource for when things get hard again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is never easy to see your child struggle.\u00a0 It is helpful to know that you do not have to be alone in this parenting journey and developing your child\u2019s ability to recognize and receive help when needed is a gift you can give them that they can use for the rest of their lives.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Jessica King , LCSW We want to see our kids happy, healthy, and enjoying new life experiences each day.\u00a0 We want our children to achieve their highest potential and reach for their dreams.\u00a0 Most importantly we want our children to be resilient.\u00a0 We want them to be able to meet challenging experiences and have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2006,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,6],"tags":[22,58,72,87,122,201,220,222,276,287],"class_list":["post-3431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-counseling-therapy","category-kids","category-parenting","tag-anxiety","tag-conscious-parenting","tag-depression","tag-emotions","tag-healthy-relationships","tag-positive-parenting","tag-relationships","tag-resilience","tag-therapy-for-kids","tag-trauma-therapy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}