Dallas Whole Life Counseling offers counseling for children and adolescents, ages 6 and up. For younger children, our team of child psychology specialists utilize play therapy and other less formal methods to help the child feel comfortable. A child psychologist is particularly well adept at handling the emotional and mental needs of children, and counseling sessions may be used to address a wide range of issues such as behavior problems, social skills, and the mental or emotional well-being of a child.
For older children, such as adolescents or teens, our teen psychologist will utilize more traditional “talk therapy” that’s similar to the methods used with adults. Teen therapy or teen counseling essentially offers a listening ear to teens, providing them a secure and trusting environment where they can disclose problems that they may find hard to talk about with their family or friends.
A number of issues are typically treated in therapy for children and adolescents. A few of these are:
- Social Anxiety
- Depression
- Environmental Adjustment (such as moving to a new home, school, etc.)
- Eating Issues and Disorders
- Sleeping Problems
- “Acting Out” at School or at Home
- Anger Management
- ADHD and Concentration Problems
When working with children of different ages, the family is usually involved in the process. Sometimes the therapist may recommend a few family sessions to help improve the parent-child relationship or sibling-to-sibling relationship, should there be any problems. Since family makes for the first relationships formed in life, it is important to maintain strong and positive ties within it. In times of trouble, more often than not, family members become the pillars of strength and support that children ultimately need.
Therapy that involves treating the family as a whole, in addition to addressing the child’s specific issues, tends to be more effective in causing long-term change. Instead of focusing solely on individual treatment, a holistic approach that involves working with the social circles of the individual will produce more positive results.