Child & Teen Counseling in Grand Rapids
Counseling & Therapy Programs for Children and Teens
Children often experience stress and stressful situations, and they are usually less prepared to deal with these kinds of feelings than adults who have developed appropriate coping skills. Children who have to relocate or have a family involved in divorce, who have lost a loved one or friend, who are having problems at school, children have parents who have their own mental health issues often need the help of a supportive child or teen therapist. Many times, problems managing stress shows up at school in the form of behavior problems, relational problems, hyperactivity, distractibility, absenteeism, being bullied or bullying others, or poor grades.
Some children and teens can suffer from developmental delays as well. These are marked by delays in significant learning milestones such as talking, balance, walking, intellectual development, and potty training. A child and teen therapist who is skilled in understanding child development, and the treatment of these delays, can be extremely beneficial to your child’s development.
Children and teens might also have struggles that show up at home. These struggles may take the form of enuresis ( wetting) , encopresis (soiling), hypersomnia, insomnia, mood swings, tearfulness, undereating or overeating, addiction to phone or computer screens, loss of pleasure in daily activities, and social isolation.
Children or teens may also suffer from phobias and anxiety at an early age. Anxiety is a stress response that results in nervousness, worry, and dread. Feelings of anxiety can also be expressed through physical complaints such as headaches or stomach aches. Excessive worry is not something that a parent should criticize in a child rather it is a red flag that the child is suffering and may need help with his or her feelings.
These are just a few of the symptoms which may show up if your child or teen is troubled. It is important that parents or caregivers to try and listen to the needs and feelings of their teen or child and honor, rather than minimize, the stress they may be having that might require additional help. As our society advances, we continue to understand the importance of supporting our children and teen’s mental health. It takes patience, time, and at times the extra effort of taking them to a child & teen counselor.
There are many types of therapy for children and teens. Play therapy is the use of creative arts and play as a technique to help young children identify and then address their feelings of stress. In addition, child behavioral therapy helps with emotional upset and troubling beliefs. Child behavioral therapy may help children with anxiety, phobia, and developmental delays in socialization, potty training, sleep schedules, understanding emotional situations, getting along with others, and so forth. Family therapy works with members of the family to see what the family as a whole can do to help to the child or teen and what the family may accidentally be doing to impede the teen or child’s happiness and health. Depth psychodynamic and humanistic child and teen counseling helps the child understand her or his inner world of needs, feelings, and stressors and helps with communicating and resolution of their inner conflict through support and awareness.
Let us make a final pitch to please listen to your children or teen if they are worried or stressed, in emotional pain, rather than minimizing their feelings hoping that their troubles will just go away. It is better to be proactive and help teens and children to feel understood and values. This will lead to improved mental health and an ability to handle stress, stressful situations, and other emotional difficulties.
If you feel your child or teen is struggling to handle feelings of anxiety or stress, give Sollars & Associates a call today! We have expert therapists that provide child and teen counseling in Grand Rapids that would be happy to assist your child through these challenging feelings.
