Child and Adolescent Counseling in Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C.
Is your Child or Teen Struggling at Home, School, or with Peers? Get Help in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C.
Is your child struggling to mange their emotions? Is their behavior sometimes disruptive to your home life? Have they experienced sudden loss or trauma?
Children and adolescents develop social skills and emotional intelligence as they grow and develop. The awareness helps them develop skills to respond to their emotions in an effective manner. However, some children may face challenges in processing and regulating their emotions alone. This often leads to behaviors that can negatively impact their school life, home life and overall well-being. Therapy can create a safe space where the children and adolescents can learn about their emotions and obtain skills to effectively respond to them.
Effective Forms of Therapy for Children and Adolescents
Therapy offers children and adolescents a safe space to work through their thoughts and emotions. With the help of a specialized therapist, children can resolve problems, modify behaviors, and make positive and lasting changes.
The following are a few different types of psychotherapy available to children and adolescents. Each offers unique approaches and techniques to bring about positive outcomes. Sometimes a therapist may choose to use just one specific treatment, and other times they may find a combination of various treatments to be the best approach.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps children and adolescents to identify harmful thought patterns. Once a child recognizes that their thoughts create their feelings and moods, they can learn to control themselves and their behavior. Research has shown that CBT is highly effective at treating depression and anxiety as well as helping individuals, including children, deal with traumatic experiences.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT helps children and adolescents process their inner emotions. ACT provides context and understanding to emotions that can seem overwhelming. This allows children and adolescents to work through emotions and move forward.
Family Therapy
Family therapy is great for helping families improve communication so they can resolve issues. Sessions can include the entire family, including children, siblings, parents and grandparents, or just one or two individuals.
Who is Therapy Right for?
At every age, children can be faced with life’s challenges. The following are some of the events and scenarios that can impact a child’s mental health and well-being:
- The death of a loved one
- Bullying
- Physical or sexual abuse
- Domestic violence
- Moving or attending a new school
- Divorce
- Social anxiety
- Depression
- ADHD
- Eating disorders
Therapy is not a quick fix to a child’s behavioral or emotional issues. It is instead a thoughtful and comprehensive process that provides children with insights and skills so that they may become masters of their thoughts and feelings. This, in essence, is how children develop into happy, healthy and successful adults.
If you would like to explore treatment options for your child, or teen please give our office a call.
