Child therapy
Children are resilient.
They may just need a bit of help.
Childhood fears are normal
It is normal for children to have fears: fears of the dark, of new places, and of being separated from loved ones. It is also normal for them to have temper tantrums, to feel sadness, and to worry. These experiences help children learn about the world, and to gain resilience over time.
When to get help
If your child’s fears are starting to control their life, if they seem sad more often than not, or if their outbursts are affecting relationships or their self-esteem, it may be time to get help. They may only need a few weeks of therapy, or a few months. Children learn fast. They are adaptable and resilient.
What therapy is like
Most important to me is that your child feels comfortable, heard, and liked. We may start with getting to know you exercises, drawing, and games. We will ease in to strategies for anxiety, mood and/or emotion regulation. Parent involvement is important. You are an integral part of their recovery.
Childhood Anxiety
It is hard to see children struggle. They can become stuck in fears or behavioral patterns to the point that they stop enjoying things they used to enjoy, or start avoiding things altogether.
Sometimes, it can feel like the more we try to help, the more stuck they become. This isn’t your fault, and it isn’t your child’s fault. These patterns can be difficult to break on one’s own. Therapy can help shift a child’s mentality from familiar habits, and provide tools to manage anxiety and stress.
With Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), the following types of anxiety can be effectively treated and managed:
General Anxiety
Social Anxiety
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
School Anxiety
Separation Anxiety
Phobias (including vomiting phobia)
Body image anxiety
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Childhood Depression
Can children get depressed? Yes, children can experience depression. However, it can resolve with treatment, and it does not have to be long lasting.
Childhood depression can look like:
Sleeping significantly more or significantly less
Eating significantly more or significantly less
Spending more time alone in their room
Spending less time on hobbies and/or with friends
Laughing or smiling less
Appearing more irritable or easily frustrated
Appearing less hopeful for the future
Of course, the above issues may be temporary, and may be due to any number of factors. However, if your child doesn’t seem like themselves, and you are worried, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help.
Childhood Anger
Anger, temper tantrums, meltdowns, lying, hitting, stealing - these are issues that most, if not all, kids face sometimes, and that some kids face a lot of the time.
These issues can be frustrating for the whole family. Sometimes, we lose sight of how, underneath it all, they are just good kids. All children are good, and want to be good, just like we all want to be good. And, if we knew better, we would do better. And, when we know better, we do better.
In the past, there was a focus on behavioural strategies for behavioural difficulties. These included rewards and consequences. While these can be effective, there is now much more focus on validation and skill building for emotional regulation.
We now know that children who have behavioural issues often do not have the skills they need to regulate their emotions, and may have very sensitive temperaments to begin with. Approaching their difficulties with validation and compassion gives them the message that they are good and valued.
Providing kids with skills for regulation helps them feel capable and hopeful for their future.
With a mix of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Dialetical Behavioural Therapy, children will learn how to:
understand and express emotions
validate emotions
identify triggers for anger
change an environment that is overstimulating or triggering
calm the mind and body
