When a child is brought into a family, whether through birth or adoption, it’s a season of newness for everyone involved. A child is a welcome addition to a family, one that calls for celebration and joy. The family has to learn and adopt new routines, and that can bring some challenges – sleep can become a commodity in short supply!

Parents and caregivers willingly give of themselves to the children in their care, working through fatigue, financial difficulties and all the ups and downs of life to nurture this small life placed in their care. And so, when a child is having trouble of whatever kind, it is distressing and can be overwhelming.

If you have a child in your care, know that whatever challenges they and you may face, there is support and resources available at Little Elm Christian Counseling to help you work through those challenges.

Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(469) 333-6163

Schedule an Appointment

Do children need counseling?

Children may be young, but they have complex emotional, relational, and psychological lives. They feel deeply, and they process their various experiences and try to make sense of their world just as the adults in their lives try to do. Just as adults find themselves at their wits’ end or having challenges that simply seem too big to address on their own, so do children.

Children go through challenging times in their life where they need guidance, or just someone who is willing to listen. Children also face issues similar to those adults face in their day-to-day lives, including depression, anxiety, and grief. Just as therapy and counseling can help adults, it can also help a child by teaching them the value of seeking help, not to mention helping them to cultivate their problem-solving skills.

At Little Elm Christian Counseling, the goal of counseling for children is to break down complex problems so that the child can better understand and cope with them. Children and families must deal with different sources of stress and a variety of emotional and behavioral issues that can disrupt a flourishing family life.

Whether your child needs counseling will depend on several factors, including the problem they are facing and whether they understand what is going on and have the resources and support to address the issue. As a parent or caregiver, you will also need to consider whether you have the necessary know how and resources to help the child navigate the challenge. It may be heart wrenching and challenging to recognize that you and your child need help to overcome an issue. But taking advantage of the resources available can only be good for your family and its long-term well being.

At Little Elm Christian Counseling, your child’s counselor can help you create strategies for strengthening the bond between you and your child, and they can teach you the skills needed to know how to interact with your child in ways that will support their long-term healthy mental, emotional, and social development. Through counseling in Little Elm, Texas, your child can also learn and develop increased resiliency as well as tools to nurture the social and emotional well being that will support their flourishing throughout the rest of their lives.

At times, a child may be struggling with distress from one source or another, but they may not share those concerns with their parents. This is not because they don’t love you or find you safe. Sometimes, they may be reluctant to share their struggles because they are afraid of disappointing you or of feeling like they aren’t meeting some standard, or they may be embarrassed. A counselor is an outsider, a knowledgeable and experienced third party who has been trained to not only recognize, but assess, diagnose, and treat a broad range of mental health conditions that can affect a child.

Counseling for children will address a broad range of concerns, including the following:

  • Dealing with the divorce or separation of their parents
  • Learning disorders
  • Grief and loss of a loved one, including a cherished pet, or losing a friend after moving away
  • Adjustment issues, such as being at a new school
  • Witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event, and trauma-related disorders
  • Mental health conditions and psychological distress such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and depression
  • Bullying
  • Sexual, emotional, and/or physical abuse
  • Family substance abuse or addiction
  • ADHD
  • Eating disorders
  • Self-injury
  • Disruptive behavior disorders such as oppositional defiance disorder and other anger disorders

How long counseling for your child will last depends on the goals you and your child’s counselor have, but typically it will be a few months of your counselor meeting with your child once a week for about an hour. To begin with, your child’s counselor will meet with you and your child together to talk, ask questions, and listen. This will help the counselor to know your child and get a handle on the problem and for them to draw up a treatment plan. This time will also help to build rapport between your child and the counselor. Regarding the sessions themselves, the counselor may meet with you and the child together, or alone with your child depending on the circumstances such as their age. The counselor might also meet with the parent to give them tips and ideas for how best to help their child at home.

During these sessions with your counselor, your child will talk with their counselor to put their feelings into words, thus learning healthy emotional expression. They will do activities such as draw or play that will teach them about their feelings, lower stress, and help them develop coping skills. Your child will practice what they learn and learn how to problem-solve. All of these will help your child learn to better interpret the issues they are going through or the trauma they experienced or witnessed, addressing their social and emotional issues and psychological distress.

Strengthening your family through Christian counseling for children

Psalm 127:3 CEV says that “Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord.” When we see our children as a gift and not an inconvenience to our lives, we can take seriously the responsibility of nurturing and stewarding these gifts well. Parents want nothing but the good health and happiness of their children, but sometimes situations occur that simply can’t be fixed through grit and sheer determination. Parents can be too close to the situation affecting their child, and at times that means it’s best to lean on someone with expertise for help in dealing with certain challenges.

If you see that your child is struggling or they are behaving unlike themselves, you should seek the help of a child counselor at Little Elm Christian Counseling. A qualified counselor will walk with your child and impart helpful techniques to them. Your child will start to understand what they’re going through and will work through their emotions and thoughts. With therapy, your child can live a healthier life that is not marred by the lasting effects of fear, confusion, anxiety, or trauma.

Taking your child to a Christian counselor in Little Elm Christian Counseling will put your child’s mental health and emotional well-being at center stage. It will draw them toward the wholeness and health God intends for all people, including children. You don’t have to journey and struggle alone, and your child doesn’t have to wrestle with big feelings without relief. You and your family can find peace, health and healing through the wisdom God provides mental health professionals such as Christian counselors in Little Elm, Texas.

Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(469) 333-6163

Schedule an Appointment