What is Child Therapy?

The word "therapy" may seem very dramatic or scary. Some people associate it with very poorly individuals who are perhaps on the brink of some sort of mental breakdown. However, therapy can be extremely beneficial to anyone and is utilised as both a proactive and reactive method of treatment.

In this section we discuss why a child may require therapy and the warning signs to look for in a child who is struggling to cope psychologically.

Ciara McElhinney 18 Oct 2023 (1)_edited.

Why would a child or young person require therapy?

Personal issues are exactly that - personal. Every child is an individual and therefore copes (or does not cope) in different ways. What may seem like a trivial situation to one child could fill the another child with so much dread and anxiety that the simply cannot function. Therefore, the list of reasons why a young person may require therapy is not exhaustive, however, during our many years of experience of child therapy we are able to highlight the most common reasons:

Reasons to consider therapy

Low self-esteem
Anxiety
Depression
Struggling to deal with parents' divorce
Excessive anger, worry, sadness or fear
Behaviour which is immature for the child's age
Continued school associated problems i.e bullying
Difficulties making / keeping friends
Problems eating or sleeping
Difficulty adjusting to family changes
Abuse
Difficulties dealing with change
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Excessive shyness, withdrawn or poor social skills
Attached Depression etc

Warning signs that a young person is not coping

They are excessively sad
They have harmed themselves or someone else
They seem out of control / irrational
Their eating habits have changed
They have a sudden overwhelming fear for no reason
They are withdrawn
They suffer from severe mood swings
They repeatedly use of drugs and / or alcohol
They have difficulty concentrating
Their behaviour has drastically changed
They struggle to sleep (i.e. nightmares)
They are angry all the time

What happens in Child Therapy?

During the initial intake session, I meet with the primary carers and sometimes child to gain a thorough understanding and history of the family and the child. I evaluate the areas of concern, needs and goals, so that I can determine treatment. After listening to the family history, the child's developmental history, current behaviours and symptoms, I then suggest the treatment, therapeutic approaches and techniques that will be used to help the child. A treatment plan will be discussed at this time and specific recommendations will be made regarding therapeutic interventions, home-based interventions for parents to work on and any further evaluation or referrals which may be needed.

What can I expect in a therapy session?

For children, sessions will consist of various forms of Play, Sand Therapy and Integrative Psychotherapy, including but not limited to:-

Art as a therapy-the use of drawing, painting and other forms of creative expression
Narrative therapy-storytelling to elicit themes and emotions
Toys, including puppets, figurines, doll's house, etc.
Role plays, wood work
Modelling with clay and play doh
Music as a Therapy

Children and adolescents are often unable to use words to express themselves or to communicate emotions. They respond extremely well to being able to express themselves creatively in a safe and child-friendly setting, while learning appropriate ways to manage and communicate feelings.

Want to know more?

We try our best to provide the most comprehensive information about our services. However, as therapy is a very personal thing sometimes there are questions, and we welcome them!

If you would like to know more about anything about what we do or how we could help your child, then we woud be more than happy to talk.