Family Counseling

If you’ve ever wondered what a counseling for children looks like versus what your teen might undergo, we’ve got good news. This article will help you understand: Kinds of therapy counseling for teens might offer. Types of therapy available for counseling children. Markers that differentiate between the two age groups. Reasons that children and teens might seek counseling. Counseling for teens Teens who undergo counseling have some therapies available to them that young children don’t. This is simply because some of the therapy types are too abstract for young children. An example of this is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). This type of therapy can especially help teens who struggle with self-harm or suicidal ideation. The concepts of this therapy may be too mature for children’s developmental stage. In this type of therapy, a teen might explore how he or she deals with conflict and whether or not the emotional landscape is handled healthfully or not. A combination of individual and family counseling can incorporate DBT. Supportive therapy is also widely used among the teen population; it is used to help teens cope with stress and learn healthier awareness habits. Types of therapy in counseling for children While many therapies for teens and children overlap, one that doesn’t typically apply to teens is play therapy. In this, a counselor will use toys, games, and talking to help a child learn how his emotions impact his behaviors. Children may also start to recognize triggers for negative behavioral patterns and find healthy ways to address these through play. At times, parents may be asked to participate in a family session, or the therapist may meet separately with parents to discuss overall goals and topics that have come up at that point in the child’s therapy journey. Other kinds of counseling that help [...]

Children develop better in all areas – socially, emotionally, mentally, and physically – if they have good mental health. A key to nurturing children’s mental health is loving relationships which help children to manage their feelings. Their mental health is enhanced by physical activity, a nutritious diet, and regular quality sleep. This article focuses on children’s mental health between the ages of three to eight years old. Feeling happy and positive about themselves most of the time is a feeling that characterizes children with good mental health. They feel loved, secure in their environments, and safe. These children are kind to themselves when things get tough, or when they are surprised that things do not go the way they hoped or expected. These feelings reflect internal security about attempting things for the first time, or even tasks they know will be difficult. A good level of children’s mental health is seen in how a child enjoys life, learns well, and has friendly relationships with family and those he or she meets. Should he or she become sad, worried, or angry, the child is able to recover to his or her normal emotional levels in a short period of time. Those in the field find that children’s mental health is a key part of their healthy development as it assists them in building good skills which enable them to navigate behaviors, thoughts, and emotions, and communicate with others. As the child grows, his or her good mental health sets up a robust foundation for continued health and well-being as he or she gets older. Ways to foster children’s mental health A positive relationship between you and your child can be tied directly to building up his or her mental health. Some ideas to strengthen your children’s mental health using loving and [...]