Children & Adolescents
Therapy for Children and Adolescents
Children and adolescents build social skills and emotional intelligence as they grow. If these skills develop properly, they serve as building blocks that lead to children and teenagers that go on to live healthy and happy lives. But sometimes, children have emotions or behave in ways that disrupt their well-being and long-term growth.
Learning about your children’s emotional well-being can increase your ability to foster their development. Seeing a therapist provides a safe space for kids to process their thoughts and emotions while teaching you skills for more effective communication with your children.
As children grow, they go through changes in their moods and behaviors. Although these changes are often normal and predictable, they can still be challenging. When a child’s behavior matches their age, “growing pains” need not cause concern. However, when your child displays concerning behaviors in higher frequency and/or intensity, it may be time to talk with a therapist to see if your child could benefit from learning how to understand their feelings and develop new coping skills to deal with their emotional distress.
Children and Teens Mental Health Risk Factors
Below are a list of life changes that could trigger emotional distress for your child or teenager. Sometimes events can range from stress produced from moving to a new neighborhood to experiencing grief, loss or trauma. These type of experiences look different for each child so it is important to talk with you child frequently during these type of changes.
Some events that may impact a child or teen’s mental health include:
- The, pregnancy, birth or adoption of a sibling
- The death of a loved one, such as a family member or a pet
- Divorce or separation of parents and/ guardians
- Physical or sexual abuse
- Displacement from home, moving or unplanned relocation
- Experiences of poverty or homelessness
- Natural disaster
- Domestic Violence
- Moving to a new place or attending a new school
- Being bullied
- Having a learning disability
- Taking on more responsibility than is age-appropriate
- Health Issues
- Isolation from peers and loved ones
- Substance Use or Abuse
- Relational distress; with peers, family or other close or influential relationships
Your Children And Teens Mental Health and Well-being
Almost 4 million children and teens may experience mental health issues or adjustment issues that are affecting their well-being. These can cause difficulties at home, school, family and/ or with friends.
Below are a list of some of the mental health issues that a child or adolescents may be dealing with.
- ADHD/ ADD
- Autism/ Spectrum Disorders
- Tourette syndrome
- Needs Social Skill development
- Eating Disorder
- Body Image issues (Body Dysmorphia)
- Issues with meeting developmental milestones
These issues are only a portion of those children and teens experience. Each child is different and variables such as age, gender, personality, genetics, cognitive ability all play a role into how your child may be experiencing or perceiving their emotions and their understanding of why they feel the way they do. If you have concerns that your child or teenager may be having difficulty with coping and managing their emotions, please contact us and we would be happy to get you scheduled for an appointment and talk with you about the counseling services that would be right for your child or adolescent.