Benefits of Children Therapy for Mental and Behavioral Health
Children therapy is a powerful tool for Mental and Behavioral health and can help children cope with issues such as trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD and many other. It can help kids develop coping skills, build self-esteem, and work through difficult emotions. This article will discuss some of the benefits of children therapy and how it can help children.
According to CDC, 17.4 % of children aged two through eight, have been diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html
What is Children Therapy?
Children therapy is a form of therapy for children to help them cope with emotional, social, and behavioral issues. During the therapy session child can be talking, playing, drawing or engaging in other activities to aid in the therapeutic process. Children therapy can be used to improve communication and social skills, relationship building, problem-solving, impulse control, reduction of anxiety, self-esteem building and coping with difficult situations, such as life changes and transitions.
What Types of Children Therapy Are Available?
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Play Therapy
- Art Therapy
- Music Therapy
- Animal-Assisted Therapy
As each child is unique and their situation is specific to them, they need an individualized approach to treatment. A type of therapy will depend on a specific concern, developmental level and individual tendencies of your child. After a proper evaluation and assessment right at the beginning of treatment, the therapist will discuss your child’s options and suggest treatment modalities. New information can make parents feel confused or even overwhelmed sometimes, which is understandable, so make sure to ask your questions and address those concerns, to feel informed and confident with the process and what to expect.
How to know when your child needs to see a therapist
Symptoms such as anxiety, depression and self-injury are red flags that your child is struggling and needs professional help. Behavioral acting out is often a cry for help. When going through situational change, like parental divorce, loss or moving to a different home, children often need a safe space to identify and process their feelings and a therapist’s office offers just that. Sometimes children do not feel like talking to their parents about their concerns and want another trusted adults to identify and process their feelings and learn how to deal with a difficult situation.
The child therapist will support your child in gaining positive coping skills to manage negative feelings and adjust to the circumstances that they are going through at the time.
Final Thoughts
Children therapy is a safe and effective way to help children manage their emotions, cope with life difficulties and change problematic behaviors. Therapy is helpful in addressing a variety of children issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, self-esteem, difficulties focusing and many other. Often, parents have reservations about reaching out to a professional because of some mental health stigma or fear of “labeling” their child with a diagnosis. We want to reassure you that we do not have to give your child an official diagnosis, but will evaluate and discuss our concerns with you and suggest the best treatment options based on our findings. With this being said, when in doubt of your child’s mental health, give us a call for an evaluation and assessment, as a first step of getting some answers and help.
If you have concerns for your child’s mental or behavioral health reach out to one of our children’s therapist today: https://nataliasavagecounseling.com/child-counseling/