Child Therapy
Does this sound like a typical day in your life with your child?
Your child has frequent meltdowns and temper tantrums and nothing you do seems to help. It’s a battle to get your child to go to school. Homework is a nightmare and your child procrastinates, refuses to do it, cries, and does anything to avoid it. Your child is scared of social situations, new situations, leaving your side, and things that other children are not scared about. They don’t follow the rules and turn every request into a battle. Your child is impulsive, cannot sit still, and their motor always seems to be running. Your child is withdrawn and sad all the time. They are always getting into trouble at school.
Does this sound like you?
You have tried everything to fix your child’s big, out of control emotions and behaviors – and nothing works. You spend sleepless nights worrying about your child, feeling guilty, and blaming yourself. You look at your friends’ children and wonder how their kids are so “easy.” You use strategies you see them using and they fail with your child. Endless hours of your day are dedicated to googling strategies, behavior tips, parenting tips, and trying them while making no progress. There are days when you throw your hands up and believe that there is no hope; that you are stuck with the constant struggle. You have no idea how to navigate issues at school such as testing, 504s, and IEPs and whether they will help your child.
You are not alone – even though it might feel like it!
It may seem as though your child is the only one who struggles with behaviors and emotional regulation. However, CDC statistic show that in children aged 2-17, 9.4% have an ADHD diagnosis, 7.4% have been diagnosed with behavior problems, 7.1% have diagnosed anxiety, and 3.2% have a depression diagnosis. Numerous studies have shown that early intervention can improve children’s mental wellbeing and health, promote greater success in school, and improve positive family interactions with less family conflict. By now you are probably thinking, “That’s great that my child is not alone – but how do I help them?”
How do I know my child needs help?
It can be really difficult to determine if what your child is going through is just a phase or if therapy will help. If your child’s negative behaviors, emotional dysregulation, or struggles last for a month or more; if those issues cause distress to the child or the family; or, if their struggles are impacting school, home, and friendships or a combination of them all, then your child will benefit from therapy. The Child Mind Institute has a free symptom checker if you are still wondering if your child would benefit from therapy. You can find the symptom checker at: https://childmind.org/symptomchecker/
I offer a free 20-minute consultation during which we can work together to determine if your child would benefit from therapy, if I am the right match for you and your child, and if I am not the right match, where you can go to gain assistance for your child.
How can Invictus Counseling help?
I use an integrative approach to ensure that I respect that each child, their needs, and their challenges are different. I believe that therapy is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. I specialize in working with children with behavioral and emotional regulation issues. Your child and I will play together, do role-play activities, listen to music, create art, play therapeutic games, talk, and struggle through homework. Using your child’s strengths and interests we will work to create coping skills, behavioral strategies, and emotional regulation strategies. Every behavior has an underlying cause and by discovering that underlying cause with your child and you we can craft effective strategies. My focus is always on what will work for your child and for you, the parent.
My experience includes not only working with children and their parents but also with schools and in the community. I will work with you to develop strategies which will not only help in the home but also at school and other settings. My favorite part of my job is when a child gains the tools they need to thrive, achieves success, and “graduates” from therapy!
Call me today for a free 20-minute consultation so we can begin the journey to help your child become resilient and navigate life’s challenges on the road to success.