Child Therapy
Are You Confused and Worried for Your Child?
Is Your Child Having Mental And Emotional Difficulties?
Are you struggling to figure out what’s going on with your child?
Have they been having meltdowns, outbursts, and trouble controlling their emotions?
Do you think they might be dealing with anxiety, depression, autism, or ADHD?
Maybe your child’s mood is all over the place—one minute they’re sad, the next they’re happy, and the next they’re angry and irritable. Each day with them might feel like an emotional rollercoaster. There might be problems at school that are impacting their mental health, such as bullying, peer pressure, or academic issues. Perhaps they’re disruptive in class and can’t sit still or pay attention. For the first time, you may be considering therapy for your child.
Your Child’s Struggles Could Take A Toll On Your Own Mental Health
There’s no sugarcoating it—parenting a struggling child is incredibly difficult. As hard as you may try to figure out what’s going on, your child probably isn’t able to articulate all their troubles. As a result, it’s easy to feel like you’re running in circles trying to help them. You might be confused about their diagnosis and unable to find a specialist who can provide the answers you’re looking for.
What’s more, your child’s challenges could make you reflect on your parenting and wonder if you did something wrong. You might feel responsible for their mental health issues and doubt your own parenting abilities.
At Milford Counseling, we’re here to validate you and remind you that you’re doing the best you can to support your child. We’re also here to provide answers and help you get to the bottom of your child’s mental and emotional difficulties. If you want to see your child boost their confidence, improve their relationships, and learn skills that last for the rest of their life, we encourage you to connect with one of our therapists.
Children Are Growing Up In An Increasingly Stressful World
It’s normal for kids to experience anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, and many other mental health disorders. In today’s world, many of these issues are on the rise among children. COVID-19 had a huge impact on children and only added to the mental health crises they were already facing. It disrupted their social lives and forced many of them to isolate and attend school from home. As a result, many kids are still struggling to adjust to life in the wake of a global pandemic.
It's no surprise, then, that schools today are overwhelmed by the increase in mental and behavioral health treatment needed for children. Now more than ever, kids need the help of compassionate and knowledgeable professionals who can give them real-life skills for managing their emotions and dealing with the ups and downs of life.
More Parents Are Struggling Than You May Realize
In the age of social media, most of us are bombarded by images of happy families and parents who seemingly do everything right. It’s not exactly fashionable to advertise your struggles. But in reality, many parents are in the same boat as you. Many of them are doing everything they can to help their kids and still feel like they’re stuck at square one. They’re doubting their parenting abilities and worried that their kids won’t turn out happy or successful.
This is why therapy is so essential. It’s a chance to help your child gain emotional awareness and valuable coping skills early on in life, setting them up to thrive both now and in the future.
Therapy Can Give Your Child The Emotional Support They Need To Overcome Their Hurdles
Most kids have trouble sitting still for long periods of time. The good news is that our counselors have lots of experience making therapy fun, engaging, and interactive for kids. Using art therapy, play therapy, animal therapy, and other child-friendly approaches to the healing process, we help children express their feelings and come up with solutions to their emotional and behavioral challenges. Our therapists specialize in helping kids with depression, anxiety, OCD, autism, ADHD, and many other disorders.
What To Expect In Child Counseling Sessions
Therapy is customizable depending on the needs of your child. Generally, we will meet with you first to discuss your concerns and outline a plan for treatment. From there, we’ll typically begin meeting with your child individually, although you are welcome to engage in therapy alongside your child from time to time if they’re comfortable with it.
As a practice, we always strive to keep parents involved in treatment. Nobody knows your child as well as you do, and that’s why your participation is important to their time in therapy. We want to regularly check in with you to hear your insights and feedback and discuss your child’s progress. This is a highly collaborative process and we like to make sure each child’s family and whole support system is included in counseling.
To that end, we have a medical doctor on staff and work with a wide variety of clinicians and psychiatrists who offer diagnostic services. We also collaborate with schools to create IEPs and set up accommodations for kids with mental health challenges that affect their education. We believe in giving your child the most well-rounded treatment possible, setting them up for success emotionally, socially, and academically.
Our Child-Friendly Approach To Therapy Includes Art, Play, And Animals
We go out of our way to make therapy comfortable and engaging for kids. In addition to having toys, games, and art materials that children can use to express themselves, we have two certified therapy dogs, Maizey and Ruby. These dogs are very loving and intuitive and serve as excellent motivators for kids to keep coming back to therapy. Animals are incredibly therapeutic and help lower tension when children are anxious (at the same time, we are very aware of allergy concerns and can make arrangements ahead of sessions if your child is allergic to dogs).
On a deeper level, we’ll help your child improve their awareness and formulate better responses to daily stressors. We will use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help them understand how their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interconnected. Your child will learn to expand their emotional vocabulary and create words that help them express their thoughts and feelings. We’ll give them techniques to control their stress in situations that are frustrating or disappointing, empowering them to increase their confidence and resilience.
Through our playful, team-oriented, and evidence-based approach to therapy, we’re confident that we can help your child overcome their hurdles, increase their independence, and improve their relationship with you along the way.
You May Have Some Questions About Counseling For Children…
How do I know if therapy is right for my child?
Therapy can benefit any child regardless of what their struggles are. Children who go to therapy are generally more prepared for the challenges of adolescence and adulthood. What’s more, therapy can be preventative in nature. If you seek therapy for your child sooner rather than later, it can prevent their mental health issues from becoming worse down the road and ensure they have a solid foundation of coping skills at their disposal.
How long will my child be in therapy?
The timetable varies from child to child. As long as you’re invested in your child’s growth and their support system is strong, therapy doesn’t have to be long-term. That said, there’s nothing wrong with needing more involved support, and we welcome you and your child to pursue counseling for however long you see fit. Your child’s counselor can check in with you from time to time to discuss the progress they’re making.
What if my child won’t behave during sessions?
At Milford Counseling, we recognize that most kids don’t want to sit in a chair and discuss their feelings for long stretches of time. That’s why we utilize approaches like art therapy and play therapy to help them stay engaged. Through the creative use of toys, games, and art materials, children can learn to problem-solve and express themselves more effectively.
Set Your Child Up To Thrive With The Power Of Therapy
If you want to invest in your child’s emotional health and set them up for a happier future, we invite you to use the contact form or call us at (248) 529-6383 to schedule your initial session. We look forward to working with you and your child!
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