Child & Teen Psychotherapy
As adults, we often seek out therapists so that we can talk through our emotions and life situations. However, the ability to talk through what we’re feeling and share those feelings with another person is something that is developed and learned over time. In fact, there are several distinct stages of development that we grow through over the course of our lives, and we communicate our emotions differently in each stage.
Most children don’t like to sit still for very long, so imagine how difficult it would be to get a child to sit down for an hour or more to talk to a therapist about emotions! On top of that, verbal communication is not actually the primary way that children express themselves. Children have generally not yet fully developed the areas of their brains that are associated with language and communication. Instead, they often communicate their emotions through their actions. In child psychotherapy, we present children with activities so that we can observe them to better understand how they are feeling.
Some of the most important specializations in child psychotherapy treatment are:
Trauma & abuse recovery (witnessed domestic violence, experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse)
Depression
Removal from parent care
Behavioural problems
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)
Bullying
Social skills
Anxiety
Self-image & self-esteem
Academic pressures
While we consider play therapy to be an effective strategy for young children, we recognize that the teen years represent another stage of development and must be treated as such. We often joke about how our teens shut themselves in their bedrooms, but the truth is that it can be stressful and difficult for parents to understand how to communicate with their kids during this stage. Nowadays teenagers face incredible pressures and challenges, including (but not limited to!) pressure to use alcohol or drugs, pressure to become sexually active, bullying, depression, grief, and unrealistic standards presented on social media. Many parents of teenagers feel discouraged because they don’t know what to do or say to help their kids work through tough situations, and teenagers often don’t feel comfortable turning to their parents for help. Sadly, this can lead to teens attempting to handle these situations alone in unhealthy ways, such as substance abuse, isolation from loved ones, eating disorders, or even extreme self-harm.
Since therapists are not family members, teens often feel safer and more comfortable sharing their experiences in a counseling setting. We use psychotherapy to understand how teenagers are feeling and the issues that they are facing so that we can teach them healthy ways to process their emotions, which will in turn lead to better interactions with their families and friends and improve their overall self-esteem.