How to know when your child needs counseling

1. How to know when your child needs counseling Are you worried your child is suffering from anxiety, depression, or other emotional issues? Does your child have problems at school, either academic or social? Are they not the happy child you once knew? If this is the case, then your child may benefit from mental health services. According to a recent study, approximately 25% of children in America suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. However, 20% of these children suffer at a sub-clinical level and hence do not receive the therapeutic services they need. Understanding how emotional issues affect your child’s wellbeing will help you determine how to best help your child. As it relates to mental health, for children there are four common areas where we see it show up. Let’s take a look at these four areas: Schools: School plays a crucial part in every child’s life. Developmental tasks involving attending school can affect children academically, emotionally, or socially. Various learning disabilities and attention disorders can affect a child’s ability to learn at school which in turn impacts children emotionally. Furthermore, many social factors such as social skills can affect a child’s peer relationships and ability to stay out of trouble at school. If your child has issues either academically, emotionally, or socially at school, mental health counseling or assessment may be of great benefit for your child. Bonding with adults: Another important area of functioning for your child is the ability to get along with adults. It is important that your child can comply with adult demands and listen to parents, teachers, and other authority figures in your child’s life. Therapy is often very useful in managing defiant behavior from your child and teaching parents strategies to help their child succeed in this area. Mood: Very often parents miss the signs that suggest their child may be suffering from a mood disorder. A common sign of anxiety in children is if you notice that your child worries about many things. Furthermore children with anxiety typically are very critical of themselves, and have a strong desire to please others. Another common mood disorder for children is depression. Signs of depression in children include sadness most of the day, changes in appetite, more cranky or

2. irritable than normal, problems sleeping, or refusal to go school. Psychologists are especially qualified in treating mood disorders, and can offer your child much relief. Bonding with peers: Children may also struggle to make substantial peer relationships. Some children struggle in this area due to aggressive behavior and lack of social skills related to boundaries. Other children find it difficult to make friends because of social anxiety and shyness. Either end of the spectrum can drastically affect the way a child perceives themselves and overall wellbeing According to many clinical studies, efficient psychotherapy can help children struggling in these areas. Psychotherapy offers a way to cope with the academic and psychological issues., as well as offers parenting strategies as well. A capable psychologist can certainly aid in helping your child find relief in these areas. For more information, please call our office at 323-345-1402 or email us at admin@vobh.org. http://www.vobh.org/