Child Therapist: Choosing A Child Counselor
Entrusting your child's mental well-being to a professional therapist can be a beneficial step in supporting their mental health needs. If you're seeking mental health therapy services for your child, you may be unsure where to start. Pediatric counseling can be a great option to consider, as it focuses specifically on the unique needs of children and adolescents and can offer valuable support for their emotional and psychological well-being.
A child counselor or therapist is specially equipped to help children and adolescents with mental and emotional problems. These mental health professionals often specialize in therapy and counseling techniques to address a variety of issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and grief counseling. They can also provide therapies for psychological disorders and other mental illnesses. Many child and adolescent counselors work in their own practices or in settings such as juvenile detention centers, domestic violence shelters, or homeless shelters. It is important to find the right child counselor for your child who understands the unique challenges that children face with emotional disorders and child development.
Looking for a mental health professional therapist with whom your children connect and feel comfortable and whose experience treating children aligns with your children's needs can be valuable. Below are a few tips on choosing a suitable fit.
- Therapy Experience—Check whether the counselor you are about to choose has proven and tested therapy experience with children and teens. Also, try to determine whether that counselor has experience treating mental health conditions similar to your child's.
- Therapy Procedures - As a parent, you must know what kind of therapy procedures a counselor usually uses for child therapy. Determining what therapy methods they use will give you an informed decision whether to do therapy with them or not.
- Consider comfortability - Choosing a therapist who makes you and your child comfortable is essential. This will significantly help your child in therapy sessions, as they are more likely to open up to someone they trust.
- Concealment—Before choosing a child counselor for therapy, make sure that you and the counselor agree on the counselor's policies on concealment for children.
When your child, adolescent, or teen might benefit from a child therapist
There can be several reasons a child may benefit from a mental health therapist. For some children, behavioral concerns or educational challenges affect their lives negatively. Others might have been diagnosed with mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, ADHD, or OCD. Children might sometimes have trouble connecting with their peers or separating from their parents in a healthy way.
Children typically experience emotional ups and downs as they learn to control emotionally. However, if one of your children shows frequent nervousness, feelings of hopelessness, low self-esteem, repetitive self-destructive habits, changes in sleep or eating patterns, or excessive negativity, child counseling might benefit them.
The benefits of a therapist or a child counselor
How to explain mental health therapy to your child
Choosing a children’s counselor
Below are some methods for choosing a child counselor or therapist for children.
Talk to your child's pediatrician about your child’s therapy
The first person you may want to consider talking to about your child's behavior is your child's pediatrician. They may confirm whether any underlying health conditions contribute to the concerning behavior based on the child’s age and symptoms. If this is not the case, a child psychologist or therapist may be an option. You can ask your child's doctor for a referral or look for a professional therapist on your own.
You can also find therapists by contacting the guidance counselor at your child's school or by speaking with friends and family to get advice and referrals to a child counselor. Depending on the mental health support you’re seeking, the school counselors themselves may be a good fit for your child’s needs. You might also attend sessions, lectures, or workshops in your area to learn more about specific therapists and what they offer. Your child's school may also have mental health resources for families or children experiencing distress.
Often, a part of choosing a counselor, especially in a child counselor career, is examining their qualifications. The professional may have obtained a graduate-level degree, gained experience in child and adolescent psychology, acquired continuing education credits, and completed additional training specific to child therapy. For example, a clinical child psychologist, where child psychologists work, might have a doctoral degree involving advanced training in child psychology and addressing mental disorders. On the other hand, counselors in social service offices may have different education requirements.
Meeting with a potential therapist can help parents find a proper fit for their children. You might want to learn as much as possible about a provider before you agree to schedule your child's first session. Consider asking questions about their background, their experience addressing your child's specific challenges, and how they treat their clients. You can ask how frequently you can talk with the child counselor and how they might update you on progress.
Consider talking to around two to three child therapists or child counselors before choosing one to work with your child’s therapy. If you only talk to one person, you may not understand how others could offer support. Try to be patient with your meetings and ensure you communicate effectively with each therapist.
Ensure your child's comfort with the therapist you have chosen
After speaking to a therapist, ensure your child is also comfortable with them. It may be a positive fit if they can open up to this person about their thoughts and feelings. If they are scared of the therapist or refuse to go to sessions, open a conversation about how you can make therapy work more for them. Once you know that the therapist is trained and that your child feels comfortable with them, you may choose to start sessions.
Different types of child therapy
There are several methods therapists may use to engage with your children to find out their concerns, symptoms, and needs. Each type of counseling could support children in various ways and may be used in conjunction with another method.
Play therapy
Play therapy allows your children to play with toys, draw, or creatively express themselves while the therapist observes and talks to them. This expression can give them an outlet for their emotions that other therapy may not provide. It's often used for children who are elementary or younger.
Children can benefit from group settings where they're put into a situation with other children and teens experiencing similar symptoms. These children may be encouraged to form social skills and create bonds to overcome concerns like shyness or bullying.
CBT is a standard counseling form for all ages that can be effective for children. Cognitive-behavioral therapy might allow your child to recognize thoughts that make them uncomfortable and respond to them with healthy behaviors.
Options for counseling online
Parents looking for mental healthcare for their children or themselves may struggle to find support due to barriers to in-person treatment. For example, many individuals experience financial stress, busy schedules, or an inability to commute to an appointment. In these cases, online therapy may be an option.
Research shows that online therapy can help parents provide care to their children when they're experiencing symptoms of mental health conditions. In a meta-analysis of 19 studies, researchers found that online interventions can help parents address their children's mood and behavioral concerns. The analysis also highlights the program's ability to help parents connect with professionals.
If you're looking for mental health care to address challenges related to parenting, your child's emotional well-being, or other areas of your life, consider utilizing an online therapy platform like BetterHelp. The platform allows you to connect with a therapist who fits your preferences. You can also find a provider who has openings that fit your schedule. If you're looking for therapy for your teen child from 13 to 19 years of age, you can sign them up for a platform like TeenCounseling, which offers similar benefits.
Takeaway
What does a child counselor do for a child’s mental health?
Many parents may wonder about the role of a child counselor. Child counselors, also referred to as child therapists, can help your child with a variety of mental health concerns. These mental health professionals can treat children for various problems, including behavioral issues, trauma, learning disorders, or emotional problems. They can also counsel children through life transitions such as moving to a new city, their parents’ divorce, or the death of a loved one, for example.
Can children be clients of a child counselor for therapy?
Yes. Some therapists and counselors are specifically trained to work with children, including young children, older kids, and adolescents.
What is child development?
Child development refers to the process of growth children go through, both physically and mentally, as they age. Psychologists have identified certain stages of development that most children experience as they grow into adults.
What does a child counselor do?
A child therapist or counselor is tasked with providing age-appropriate care for children and adolescents. These mental health professionals may use specific therapeutic techniques proven effective in children, such as play therapy, parent-child interaction therapy, music therapy, and art therapy.
What are the responsibilities of a therapist?
The duties and responsibilities of a therapist or child counselor are multi-faceted. These can include assessing a patient’s mental health, providing counseling services, identifying and implementing effective therapy techniques, maintaining records, and protecting client information.
How is child counseling done?
Like many other parents, you may wonder about the process of child counseling. Child counseling services are provided by licensed therapists who specialize in treating children. During the initial session, the child and family therapist may meet with you and your child to learn more about the child’s background and circumstances. The therapist may ask you about any problems your child may be experiencing, such as sleep difficulties, chronic illness, substance abuse, or behavioral problems. The therapist will then work with you and your child to develop a treatment plan, which will include a series of counseling sessions where the therapist will use research-backed therapy techniques.
What is a child psychologist called?
Child psychologists are often referred to as developmental psychologists or child counselors. A child psychologist may have a doctoral degree, but this does not make them a medical doctor.
Is counseling or therapy an effective treatment for children?
Yes. Counseling and therapy have been found effective for children in a variety of ways. For example, this type of mental health treatment can help children process trauma, develop problem-solving skills, lessen anxiety in social situations, improve academic performance, and more.
What are basic counseling skills?
Most counselors have basic counseling skills such as asking open-ended questions, listening actively, reflecting on the client’s emotions, and summarizing information provided by the client.
What skills do you need to be a child counselor or a therapist?
To be a counselor or therapist, you need the following skills:
- Good listening skills - A child therapist must be a good listener to understand the current condition of a child patient, build trust, and identify other problems they are experiencing. By being a good listener, a therapist can determine the best therapy approach to be used for treating the child patient.
- Verbal and nonverbal communication skills - A child counselor must develop verbal and nonverbal skills specifically tailored for children. As a child counselor, one must be able to use simple language during therapy sessions so that he/she can communicate with the child effectively. The child counselor must also know nonverbal cues to understand what the patient is feeling or experiencing at the moment.
- Critical thinking skills to solve problems - Child counselors use critical thinking skills in therapy sessions to identify the underlying reasons behind a child’s behavior, feelings, and experiences. By doing this, they may find a solution for the condition the child is currently experiencing.
These skills can be learned and practiced in a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree program. Counselors can hone these skills during their required clinical practice hours.
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