CHILD THERAPY SESSIONS
Childhood is a period of rapid emotional, cognitive, and social change. So it is naturally a time of vulnerability, where ignored mental health needs can often lead to major problems later in life.
Common indicators that therapy might be needed include trauma, parental divorce, relocation to a new city, changing schools, bullying, and so on. Professionals such as general practitioners, teachers, school nurses, and social workers can identify these concerns in your child and initiate a referral for child therapy.1
But you also don’t have to wait for a major life transition for a child therapy referral.
At MindNLife, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive emotionally and socially – and with the right support, they can.
FAMILY AND CHILD THERAPY: THE BENEFITS OF SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S EMOTIONAL WELLBEING
The benefits of child therapy are multifold. Some reasons why you should consider it for your child include:
BETTER ADAPTIVE COPING SKILLS
All parents intentionally teach their children physical and academic skills. However, as children grow up, they are inevitably exposed to difficult life circumstances for which they need coping skills.A child whose emotional well-being is not adequately supported in childhood is more likely to find coping with challenges difficult.2
Child therapy teaches young people constructive ways to recognise their emotions. It helps them tolerate distressing situations and respond to life stressors in a healthy manner.
These coping skills are integrated into age-appropriate play-based and therapeutic-play methods.
HEALTHY COMMUNICATION
Children are not born with the ability to clearly communicate their emotional needs, and many do not learn these skills until they reach adulthood. But this can result in them coping in silence.
A core outcome of effective child therapy is that children learn when and how to ask for support. Your child will be encouraged to recognise the early signs of emotional overload and communicate these to adults they trust.
Child therapy also explicitly teaches boundary-setting. Your child will learn to articulate their personal limits without any guilt. Naturally, they will be much less vulnerable to exploitation if they know what their boundaries are.
STRONG SELF-ESTEEM
Self-esteem is a foundational psychological resource that determines how a child perceives themselves. Children with weak self-esteem are more likely to doubt their capabilities.3The primary tools of child therapy are play, drawing, storytelling, role-play, and so on, through which they learn to express their emotions. When a therapist responds to their emotions with acceptance, the child feels validated.
Many children referred to therapy have internalised that they are ‘naughty’ or ‘not good enough.’ Therapy changes these structural views about self-image in children using age-appropriate activities.
LONG-TERM MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS
Emotional and behavioural difficulties are more resistant to change the longer they remain unaddressed.Childhood is a period of maximum neuroplasticity. So early intervention for mental health challenges through child therapy is associated with better long-term outcomes than treatment initiated later in life.4
WHAT HAPPENS IN CHILD THERAPY SESSIONS?
Child therapy sessions begin with an initial meeting with parents to discuss the challenges your child is facing and the reasons for the referral.
You will be asked about your child’s emotions, their behavioural functioning at home and at school, the kind of peer support they have, and your family context.
You may also be asked about the developmental history of the child, in other words, when your child first sat up, walked, and spoke. This will be followed by a thorough assessment of the child through direct questions and validated questionnaires.
Once the assessment is complete, the clinician will recommend a course of therapy suited specifically to your child. Therapy can be in-person or online.
In younger children, we tend to use toys, art materials, games or storytelling for therapeutic purposes. With older children and teenagers, sessions are more verbally focused.
HOW TO START THERAPY FOR YOUR CHILD
A referral connects your child to assessment and evidence-based support.
Ideally, speak to a professional who already knows your child. For example, a GP, teacher, school nurse, social worker, youth worker, or paediatrician.
Parents can contact the GP on their child’s behalf. The GP will ask about your child’s difficulties, how long they have been present, how they affect daily life (for example, school attendance, sleep, or behaviour), and what measures you have previously taken for them. Based on the information you provide, you may be referred for mental health services.
A parent or carer can also self-refer on behalf of a child. In self-referral, expect to be asked for specific, detailed information about the nature of mental health struggles.
If you’re looking for professional, personalised child therapy, you can also get in touch with MindNLife today. We’re here to guide your family through challenges with care and expertise.
BOOK A CHILD THERAPY APPOINTMENT
MindNLife is a private family and child therapy practice where we offer psychological support under the supervision of therapists who bring over 75 years of combined clinical experience.
We provide comprehensive assessments and child therapy services that cater to different stages of development in children. Our clinicians deliver proven therapeutic models matched to your child’s age.
We also work closely with parents because children do best when therapy is reinforced at home. If your child is in their teenage years, we also have a dedicated teen therapy programme for their needs.
Make an appointment to book a child therapy session at MindNLife today.
FAQS ABOUT CHILD THERAPY
We understand you may have questions about family therapy. To help offer clarity, we provide answers to the most common queries about family therapy below to allow you to move forward with greater understanding. Please feel free to contact us if you still have questions, and we will be happy to answer them for you.
WHO PROVIDES CHILD THERAPY?
Child therapy in Hong Kong and the UK is provided by clinical psychologists, child and adolescent psychotherapists, counsellors, and CAMHS clinicians.
WHAT ISSUES CAN CHILD THERAPY HELP WITH?
Child therapy can help with the emotional and behavioural difficulties children often face due to major life changes. Examples include parent-child conflict, parental separation, the arrival of a new sibling, bereavement, relocation, and bullying (including cyberbullying).
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD NEEDS THERAPY?
Watch for early signs of mental health issues in children. They can include persistently low mood, anxiety, withdrawal, sleep problems, sudden behaviour changes, refusal to go to school, frequent anger tantrums, and physical complaints without a medical cause.
REFERENCES
- NHS. (2023, July 19). Children and Young people’s Mental Health Services. Nhs.uk. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/mental-health-support/mental-health-services/
- Dvir, Y., Ford, J. D., Hill, M., & Frazier, J. A. (2014). Childhood Maltreatment, Emotional Dysregulation, and Psychiatric Comorbidities. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 22(3), 149–161. https://doi.org/10.1097/HRP.0000000000000014
- Hosogi, M., Okada, A., Fujii, C., Noguchi, K., & Watanabe, K. (2012). Importance and usefulness of evaluating self-esteem in children. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 6(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0759-6-9
- McGorry, P. D., & Mei, C. (2018). Early intervention in youth mental health: progress and future directions. Evidence Based Mental Health, 21(4), 182–184. https://doi.org/10.1136/ebmental-2018-300060
- Pettersson, E., Anckarsäter, H., Gillberg, C., & Lichtenstein, P. (2013). Different neurodevelopmental symptoms have a common genetic etiology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 54(12), 1356–1365. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12113
- James, A. C., James, G., Cowdrey, F. A., Soler, A., & Choke, A. (2020). Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd004690.pub4