Are You Concerned For Your Child’s Development?

Is your child struggling with behavioral issues, problems at school, or a difficult life transition that you don’t know how to address? Are you worried about your child’s emotional well-being because they are overly clingy, fearful, or withdrawn? Do they often miss school because of unexplained “tummy aches” or illnesses that you worry are the result of anxiety or depression? 

Conversely, maybe you are the parent of an infant and you feel guilty for not being able to immediately bond with your newborn. It may even be that you are questioning your ability to be a good parent and just need a little support from someone who understands.

Raising a child is never easy. And some of the challenges we face as parents can make us feel ill-equipped to help them grow into healthy adults. They may be struggling to regulate their emotions, make new friends, or feel safe—even at home. Or they could be lashing out, being overly defiant, or acting aggressively toward siblings. And if you are taking care of an infant, the stress can literally make you want to pull your hair out.  

Watching your child struggle with mental health problems or developmental issues is an exhausting and terrifying experience. But you don’t have to navigate this emotionally trying time alone. With the help of a kind and caring child therapist, you can gain greater clarity into your child’s challenges and make sure that you are equipping them for success—both as an adolescent and an adult.

Parenting Is A Learning Experience

Many parents who have difficulty connecting with their children or understanding their behaviors think that they are failing as caregivers. But self-doubt, fear, and confusion are all natural parts of parenthood. While you’re throwing your hands in the air, your child is likely experiencing similar emotions. We live in a highly-stimulating world that can be too much for a child to interpret because developmentally, they are not on the same level as you and I. Children simply don’t have the capacity to process and manage the complexities that can make this world so intimidating. Therefore, they can’t articulate their pain either. 

Life transitions, such as going to school, moving to a new home, or witnessing a divorce can also create stress that parents often don’t recognize—and children can’t express. As a result, the fear and uncertainty can manifest as anger, defiance, sadness, or fear. Moreover, if you have a child that suffers from anxiety, depression, or childhood trauma, their behavior could be misinterpreted as mere disobedience or acting out. In reality, your child is likely asking for help the only way they know how. 

Therapy is a wonderful tool for healing, but that doesn’t mean that your child has to suffer from something serious to benefit from therapy. Reaching out for help now as an act of preventative maintenance can outfit your child with greater self-awareness and skills for succeeding on their own. Therapy can also enable you to identify the true source of your child’s challenges so that you can meet them head-on with strategies that really work.

Understanding And Connecting With Your Child Through Counseling

Working with a child therapist gives you a guilt-free space where you can discuss your complex feelings about parenting while learning about child development and how it plays into their upbringing. Therapy also provides you with an ally who is not motivated by personal interests or unintentional biases that family and friends sometimes have. But at its essence, therapy isn’t about giving advice, it’s about listening and developing a tailored treatment plan based on your goals and your child’s needs.

During our first session, we’ll meet with you, the parent(s), alone in order to get a better idea of the challenges that your family is facing. Then, we will meet with your child individually to get a picture of all the parts and unique circumstances that bring you to us. We offer a warm and interactive space in which we can work with your child to identify and build upon their strengths while developing positive ways of coping with negative behaviors, thoughts, or feelings about themselves. 

When bad things happen, children tend to blame themselves and internalize their pain. So it begins manifesting as everything from behavioral issues to anxiety and depression. Therefore, one of our goals is to help your child identify where their beliefs are coming from and give them the tools to reframe those beliefs. By re-contextualizing those negative thoughts, your child can begin to see themselves, the world, and the challenges they face with unbiased clarity.  

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a treatment model that focuses on changing the way we feel by altering the way we think about ourselves and the world around us. CBT is not only a great therapy option for children, but it can be particularly helpful for adults—parents of children and newborns alike. Working with one of our counselors can give you the skills to overcome stress, sadness, self-doubt, guilt, anger, or any other difficult emotions you may be experiencing.

When it comes to counseling for kids, parents often have preconceived notions about therapists. But we understand your reservations and assure you that we meet each of our clients with unconditional positive regard. Our practice is a place where you can feel safe to open up and expose your vulnerabilities with someone who will validate your concerns and help you develop practical solutions.

We understand that you are worried about the welfare of your child, and we want to help. Once you are able to better understand what your child is facing, you truly can help them grow stronger. With us guiding you through the process, you can make sure that your child has the awareness and tools needed to develop properly and overcome challenges on their own. As a parent, you can feel less stressed out, more connected, and confident that you are raising a happy and healthy child.

Life changes and Challenges

Each developmental phase gives your child specific challenges that they tend to work through as a normal part of growing up. Mental health issues can make life changes and challenges harder to get through successfully and may be a direct result of events in your child's life. 

Some events that may have an impact on your child's mental health:

• Bullying

• A life change (e.g. new school)

• Divorce or separation

• A birth in the family

• A death in the family

• Traumatic experience

Depression, Anxiety and behavioral issues

You are definitely not alone if you are feeling extremely helpless as you watch your child experiencing depression and/or anxiety and related behavioral issues.

Depression: If your child is experiencing depression, common symptoms include feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, persistent sadness, and tearfulness. Parents and teachers also report a lack of focus, increased irritability and isolation from people the child used to enjoy being around as well as a change in appetite and sleep patterns. Some kids show an increased interest in death and dying and a decreased ability to function in school, sports and hobbies they once looked forward to. 

Anxiety: A child who is experiencing high levels of anxiety may have a hard time separating from their parents, may excessively worry and constantly start sentences with, “What If”. They may complain about stomach aches and/or headaches repeatedly. An anxious child may seek constant reassurance from others, appear restless, and have trouble focusing. Transitions can be especially anxiety provoking and often tantrums can result due to the inability to cope with the cascade of feelings. Sleep and appetite changes are hallmark signs of anxiety as well.

The good news is that with treatment your child can build skills to manage their difficult feelings effectively. We’ll begin by getting to the root cause(s) of the issue and help your child learn, apply and model healthy thinking and behaviors.

Perhaps you are considering child counseling but still have some concerns…

Is therapy going to help if my child is non-verbal?

We realize that, developmentally, kids aren’t always able to express what is happening inside of them. But at Thrive Postpartum Couples and Families, we are specially trained to access children who are non-verbal, whether that is a result of their age, a developmental issue, or a traumatic incident. Using play therapy and art therapy—including games, drawing, or free-writing—we can get to the core of your child’s pain without talking about it or making it worse. 

Am I a bad parent because my child needs therapy?

Considering therapy shows that you are obviously very thoughtful and that you have your child’s best interests in mind. It may be cliché, but there is truth in the old axiom: It takes a village to raise a child. So reaching out is not only wise, but it’s also natural. Child-raising can be stressful, but it is also immensely rewarding. Once you see your child learning how to manage their emotions and the way they act and think, you will know that you have forever improved their life’s trajectory—and that’s the work of a great parent.

What makes you unique as a therapist?

At Thrive Postpartum Couples and Family, we also provide parent/infant therapy because we know that bringing a newborn into the world is stressful! Navigating the self-doubt, physical exhaustion, and perhaps even postnatal mood disorders are challenges that many parents never see coming. To that end, we also offer simultaneous couples counseling and child therapy sessions so that you don’t have to sacrifice your own self-care for your child’s well-being. 

Let Us Help Your Family Thrive

If you would like to reduce your stress, instill greater peace in your home, and ensure your child’s healthy development, we can help.