First, child therapy isn’t a bad thing. In America, for some reason, going to see a therapist is looked down upon by some. So, for those who look down upon therapy, they are missing out. And, it is a positive coping skill for life long wellness. By starting your child out sooner than later, he or she can learn tools, techniques, and skills for releasing feelings in healthy ways. Further, these skills can be used to build friendships, be social, communicate effectively, and understand how to read emotions.
How Does Child Therapy In Niantic Help?
Also, seeing a therapist doesn’t mean you or your child has problems. Instead, seeing a therapist is a sign that you are working in a focused way on self-care, balance, and inner peace. But, it takes work to learn social and emotional skills just like it takes work to learn math, science, and how to drive a car. So, when your child’s pediatrician recommends therapy, know that it will probably help your whole family work better together!
What Does Wisdom Within Counseling Do Differently?
And, your child will feel a close bond with his or her therapist through play, art, movement, and music. Therefore, this trusting bond will help your child build meaningful relationships with peers and others. From therapy in Niantic, your child will have tools to release frustration in positive ways. In Niantic, Connecticut at Wisdom Within Counseling, we are a team of holistic therapists who help using creative art, yoga, music, and outdoor walk and talk therapy. More over, in child therapy, these creative outlets help a frustrated, worried child process his or her feelings in healthy ways. And, these are skills that can only be learn in professional, child therapy.
What Not To Say When Talking About Therapy To Your Child?
First, explaining therapy to a child can go poorly if done wrong. What you f\don’t want to do is make your child feel broken, like a problem needing to be fixed. So, don’t day, “We are going to therapy to help with your anxiety.” So, what this does is make a child feel bad inside for having anxiety. In child therapy in Niantic, we work to help your child feel capable, stronger, and resilient through art, yoga, music, play, and outdoor therapies. And, saying that to a child also leads to shame. Really, saying that makes your child not want to goto therapy.
How To Explain Therapy To A Child?
Rather, the best way to explain going to therapy is like this. “Therapy is your special, safe place where you get time to feel supported and let go of feelings. You and Katie, your new friend, are going to play together.” And, child therapy in Niantic also includes parent support sessions for parenting help to prevent burnout. Further, counseling for a child is a place where emotional support is received and the rush of a hectic day slows down.
What Are Signs A Child Needs Counseling?
First, all children can have emotional highs and lows. But, say you’ve recently moved. Now, your child could use extra, professional support to come to terms with the big change and learn skills to feel confident in a new school. Or, say your child really loves softball. But, your child has recently become injured that results in them not being able to play. Then, therapy can help you child process, talk, play, and understand this experience. A sports injury can lead to feeling sad because deep down, it is a loss of identity and what was once fun. Overall, if your child has trouble with friends, grades go down, or shows moodiness, absolutely contact a professional child therapist. Call or text to get your child started in holistic, creative child therapy in Niantic today (860)-451-9364.
What Is Child Therapy Exactly?
Also, child therapy is very different from adult counseling. In adult therapy, your therapist will talk with you, you’ll make eye contact, and have a conversation. However, talk counseling is not developmentally appropriate for children. Read about pay therapy, here. Further, in child therapy in Niantic, your child’s therapist will use fun games, stuffed animals, puppets, games, and creative art projects to help him or her feel safe. Also, play therapy meets your child where they are. Then, through child therapy in Niantic, your child can learn positive coping skills to identify feelings, self-regulate, and develop self-awareness to stay calm in a tough situation.
If Talk Therapy Isn’t Best For Children, What Is?
Instead, a trained, professional child therapist, knows play, art, yoga, and music are needed to help develop safety and trust. So, if talk counseling is used with children, a child will probably not talk, run out of the room, or try and hide. Without professional child therapy, such as at Wisdom Within Counseling in Niantic, children and teens will only continue to have problems that worsen and negatively affect how they feel, act, or learn. In general, therapy is a way to get help for your child. And, specific coping skills can be taught for anxiety, worry, frustration, or anger related to pet loss, divorce, or a move. And, play is what allows a child to learn how to express their emotions without being afraid of judgment or being labeled as bad. Further, play therapy allows a child to communicate better because they are already great at playing it out. Read about child therapy and how the language of a child is play, here. Get your child started in holistic counseling today by calling 960-451-9364.
Why Seek Creative, Holistic Child Therapy?
To note, many issues can pile up causing a child anxiety or stress. But, here are some good reasons to seek professional support outside of your family unit. As problems arise in sibling and family relationships and academic performance, you’ll want to get your child into therapy in Niantic ASAP. And, if your teenager has started self-harming, cutting, cutting school, skipping class, and being disruptive in class, seek therapy. We specialized with anxious children, depressed teens, and young adults figuring out relationships and dating. Instead of seeing these as bad problems, choose to see them as red flags. When grades drop, you teen is truly saying, “I need extra support. I need a therapist. I need someone just for me that I can talk to about my feelings.” Finally, your child’s therapist in Niantic can help your have a more centered, calm, and smooth family life.
What If My Child Worries About The Future? This Is A Good Reason To Seek Counseling
To add, when your child excessive worry about the future, this is anxiety. Read more about childhood anxiety, here. Yes, anxiety happens to all of us. But, for a child, having anxiety for the first time can be scary and overwhelming. So, in child therapy, your child can learn techniques to befriend anxiety and worry and learn healthy ways to let it go. When worried, some children will try to ave every piece of garbage because they are attached. And, your child may pick their skin, bite their finger nails, or chew on clothing when anxious. For instance, your child may also growl when anxious or frustrated, which isn’t socially appropriate. But, it is because he or she needs tools, learned from therapy, to express and verbally let it out. Therefore, child therapy will teach your child ways to release emotions in positive ways. These are lifelong skills that your child can take into years into their future into college and beyond.
What Problems Do Child Therapists Here In Niantic Help With?
Overall, therapists are trained to help with all kinds of problems. But, child therapists, such as the team here at Wisdom Within Counseling in Niantic spend extra time focusing on the wellbeing of children in therapy. For example, the team of holistic, creative therapists in Niantic help anxious children and frustrated teens going through difficult times including:
Family problems, divorce, loss of a pet, sibling diagnosed with new illness
School problems, grades dropping, low motivation about school, learning disability issue, bullying online or in person
Health problems, new medical diagnosis
Your Holistic, Creative Therapist Will Help With Feelings Like:
Sadness, loss, grief, disappointment, low-self esteem, lack of social skills
Anger, frustration, rage, growling, disruptive classroom behaviors
Wisdom Within Counseling in Niantic helps anxious children and distant teens with conditions like:
ADHD, read more about movement therapy in Niantic, here.
Depression, read more about teen depression therapy in Niantic, here.
OCD and anxiety, read more about childhood anxiety therapy in Niantic, here.
Eating disorders, read more about eating disorder therapy in Niantic, here.
Self-injury, read more about self-harm and DBT therapy in Niantic, here.
Trauma-related disorders, read more about trauma therapy in Niantic, here.
What Happens in Therapy At Wisdom Within Counseling in Niantic?
At first, your child’s therapist will meet with you and your partner to talk. To begin, this is called a parent only session. And, speaking adult-to-adult gives your child’s therapist background on their journey without making your child feel like a problem needing to be fixed. Then, your child and their therapist will meet together weekly. As a parent, you can relax on a comfy chair in the lobby.
What Makes Therapy A Long-Term Growth Process?
After the beginning phase of building trust, about three months, your child will go to more emotionally-focused play therapy visits. At these visits, your child might use a mixture of play and talking. First, it is normal if your child doesn’t want to talk at first. So, your child will learn how to speak up about their feelings and communicate them to adults. Also, your child will get to choose from art, yoga, music, and outdoor walk and talk sessions. To learn relaxation skills, your child may learn about child’s yoga, calm breathing techniques, and mindfulness. Further, your child can take these skills outside of their therapy session in Niantic, to school, home life, and friends.
How Long Do Children Go To Therapy?
To add, child therapy works best when commitment to the long-term process is up front. Meaning, therapy takes times. It has taken nine years for your nine year old to get to where they are now. So, how long therapy lasts depends on your family dynamics, the goals you have, and the plans your child’s therapist have. Most often, your child’s therapist will want to meet with your child once a week for sex months minimum. And, many families continue therapy even after the problem behaviors have been helped in order to continue the trusting bond.
How Can Parents Help With Child Therapy In Niantic?
TO conclude, you can do a couple of things to help your child get the most from therapy. Here are some of them:
First, find a therapist that specializes with children. Don’t go to a therapist that only works with adults. So, your child will need more than just talking. It is important that you and your child feel comfortable with the child therapist. Valuing your chid=ild’s mental health may mean rearranging your family budget accordingly. And, child specialists are hard to find, so be sure to set aside money weekly to factor in a professional child specialist. Make three therapist interviews and then make a final decision.
Now, once you’ve found your child therapist, take your child to all the appointments. Further, being consistent, reliable, and make it a point to get to appointments on time. And, change takes time. It takes many therapy visits for your child to learn new skills and keep them up. Finally, be patient and ask your child’s therapist what you can do to reinforce positive skills at home. And, give your child praise, love, and warmth when they are trying hard!
The team at Wisdom Within Counseling love working with anxious children, frustrated teens, and reconnecting distant couples.
