It is normal for children to experience age-appropriate ups and downs in their behavior and emotions, but some children are overly:
- sad
- angry
- oppositional
- fearful
- shy
- worried
Signs that your child may need help from a psychotherapist include:
- temper tantrums that are very intense and long lasting
- violence toward others or disturbingly graphic violent thoughts or speech
- crying that is out of proportion to the situation
- signs of stress in response to conflict or divorce in the family
- not seeming to be present mentally to the extent that it interferes with learning and following directions
- unreasonable fears, fears of separation or going to school
- being overly concerned with cleanliness or arranging things a certain way
- significant sleep disturbances or irregular sleep habits
- statements about not wanting to live or wanting to hurt themselves
- repeated self-injury
How Does Therapy Work with Children?
While the child is the focus of the therapy, I work with parents as fully as circumstances allow. I generally meet with parents before seeing the child for the first time. Then, I generally meet with parents once every four to six child sessions.
Children often engage in talk therapy much less than adults do. Instead, they use play therapy to develop a narrative that is meaningful to them. Children will often repeat certain themes in their play, but the themes evolve as the child gets better control of his or her emotions, fears, and resentments. For example, a little girl who plays out stories where monsters kill people may, over time, develop the story into one where the monster is not bad after all and begins to help people.
How I Work with Children and Parents
While the child is the focus of the therapy, I work with parents as fully as circumstances allow. I generally meet with parents before seeing the child for the first time. Then, I generally meet with parents once every four to six child sessions.
I use my meetings with parents to understand what is happening with the child and to track his or her progress. I consult with parents on what parenting the child is like for them and try to help support their relationship with the child. Sometimes it is helpful for parents to share their questions and their frustrations. Often, it is appropriate for me to look at what’s happening with the child from the perspective of what’s happening in the family system as a whole.
If you bring your child to see me, I will have a full discussion with you about how I will share with you my assessment of your child, keep you informed of his or her progress, what I will do to keep your child safe, and, at the same time, how I will respect your child’s confidentiality as much as possible.
The first step is to call me at 925-640-8078 for a confidential conversation about your child.