Child Therapy

A common misconception regarding children is that they do not face or experience the struggles that adults do, such as depression, anxiety, specific phobias, and behavioural issues. However, regardless of age, we can all struggle with our feelings and emotions, go through traumatic events and have big changes in our lives. We need to remember that like adults, children also cannot just ‘grow out’ of their psychological struggles. Just like us, they may need the support of a professional to help them to express their thoughts and emotions effectively. With the right guidance and support from not only the therapist, but also family, your child can learn and understand more about themselves and have a positive impact on their psychological wellbeing.

The Mind Remedy understands and appreciates that your child is unique and has their own struggles. Through talking and working with your child, treatment can be tailored to their individual needs and difficulties.

Types of Child Therapy:

As working with children requires specific skills and expertise, we have qualified and experienced therapists and Psychologists to support your child. The type of treatment used depends on your child, their needs, and goals in therapy. Some treatment options include: 

• Play Therapy – This type of remedy is usually utilised for children aged from 5-12, however it can be used for older ages depending on circumstances. This treatment makes use of different mediums of art and the child’s imagination to help them portray their thoughts and feelings. This is because some children would have difficulty expressing these cognitions verbally, thus the use of these different forms of media such as, dolls, figurines, arts and crafts, and storytelling can help them to do so. These professionals would then use their expertise to analyse and understand what the child is trying to portray.

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – CBT is a type of talking therapy created to help highlight the negative thoughts and behaviours and help change them into positive ones. CBT can help your child understand their unhelpful thoughts and can help them discover new ways at looking at the situation. Thus, with the help of a Child Psychologist, CBT can support them with how they respond to different emotions, thoughts, and situations.

• Family Therapy – This type of therapy targets the child’s family members and the relationships the child has with everyone. As this treatment employs the use of the child’s relationships with their family, the Psychologist can talk to other members to understand and learn more about the child, while teaching the relatives ways to support the child through their development.

What Can Child Therapy Help with? 

Child therapy is a tool to help your child to adjust to the world and help them with their thoughts, emotions, experiences. Here is a list of the issues that child therapy can be helpful for:

-  General Situations: Family problems, School struggles, Health problems

-  Struggling with cope with their feelings: Anger, Sadness, Low self-esteem, Fear, etc. 

-  Mental Health difficulties: Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, OCD, Eating disorders, Self-harm, Behavioural difficulties, etc. 

How Involved Would I Be in My Child’s Therapy?

As parents or guardians, you may be concerned and wish to help your child during these sessions. This is great as you have a vital role in helping your child through their journey of therapy.

It can help if you encourage your child to attend their therapy sessions. They may feel uncomfortable or afraid to meet someone they are unfamiliar with, thus, with some encouragement you can help them get more engaged with their therapy. 

One thing to avoid is asking your child for too much of the contents of their session and what they talked about to their therapist. As these sessions are held with the child’s confidentiality in mind. Instead, you can praise them for attending the sessions and wait for them to open up to you if they wish. Let your child know that you are there whenever they need, and you are always willing to support them.