When should my child see a therapist?
Written by our therapist, Miranda, MSW, RSW
Ten reasons why a child and youth therapist could be helpful for your family
Does my child actually need therapy? This is such a common question for parents today. There is so much information online that can be confusing for us parents and everything can make it seem that we are doing something wrong or our child is not okay. I want you to first breathe and tell yourself that you are doing an amazing job and the fact that you are here reading this article shows how much you care for your child! Not every child needs therapy and sometimes, they may just require some extra support navigating their inner world for a short time. By connecting to a therapist through a free 15-minute consultation call, we can explore if therapy is the right fit or, if your child may just need some time. For now, let’s explore 10 reasons when you may explore getting some extra support and expanding your village by seeking out a therapist for your child.
You notice that your child is excessively worrying and experiencing an increase in anxiety.
This could look like perfectionism, control seeking, worrying about every worst case scenario, trouble sleeping and not wanting to separate from caregivers. Anxiety can be a helpful emotion but sometimes it can overwhelm a child’s system and they may require extra support building their coping skills and understanding their worry brain.
Your child may have experienced the loss of a loved one, pet, or someone close to them may have moved or separated, and now they may be struggling to cope after some time.
Making sense of grief and loss can be incredibly challenging for adults, nevermind children. Children and teens may need increased support especially if you are noticing that their behaviour is changing after some time. Children and teens may require additional support making sense of their internal world regarding their feelings of grief and loss.
Your child or teen’s behaviour is changing in a way that has you worried.
Perhaps they have become more angry and are having large outbursts. Maybe they are more withdrawn, are not interested in the same activities and are no longer sharing things with you or people they are close to. Maybe you are noticing increased risk taking behaviour and are worried they will get harmed. Behaviour is a child and teens biggest communication and a therapist can help explore the behaviours and help integrate ways to help them communicate and express what is going on inside in positive ways.
Your child or teen is having an increase in emotional outbursts.
Emotional expression is healthy and only becomes worrisome if they are no longer able to cope or express their emotions in ways that do not harm themselves or others. If you are noticing increased anger and aggression, anxiety, stress and overwhelm over small things, intense sadness or if you notice the members in the home are walking on eggshells to prevent an emotional outburst, it may be time to seek some support for your teen or child.
Your child or teen is having difficulty communicating or expressing their feelings.
Sometimes children and teens may not have the words for what is going on. You may see a teen or child who is shut down and replies “I am fine, it’s nothing” or they may be having large outbursts going from 0-100. Children and teens may need someone outside the home to help them explore their internal world and give them words for what is happening on the inside.
You’ve noticed your previously confident child is now struggling with self-esteem.
Maybe they are no longer willing to try new things or attend their previous sport programs or you may see them struggling with their body image or social life. Perhaps you have noticed a new desire for them to want to control situations or, the opposite where they can no longer make decisions like they used to. Connecting them with a therapist can support them in exploring what is going on for them and help them reconnect to their self-esteem and confidence so that they can go back to enjoying the things they once used to.
You notice that your child or teen is starting to have social challenges with their peers.
You may observe them having increased conflicts with friends, them struggling to communicate or problem solve conflicts, they may be experiencing bullying at school and may struggle with anxiety in social situations. Meeting with a therapist can help them practice and explore social dynamics and build their communication and social skills in positive ways.
There may be an increase in family conflict at home.
Whether this is due to family stress, separation or divorce or because your child or teen’s behaviour has triggered increased frustration within the family unit, they may require some outside support navigating the increased conflict in the home. Connecting with a child and teen therapist or attending family therapy can be helpful for the whole family unit to help bridge communication and develop positive ways to cope and understand each other better. Ongoing conflict can cause stress on everyone and getting some support early on can be the best thing for everyone in the home.
Your child, teen or the family may have experienced a traumatic event.
Not all traumatic events may require a child or teen to seek therapy; however, when a traumatic event occurs, children and teens may struggle to make sense of the event which can result in unfavorable symptoms. Trauma symptoms can look like trouble with sleep, a child becoming increasingly anxious or avoidant of situations, not wanting to separate from a caregiver, they may look withdrawn or they may have big emotional outbursts without a clear trigger. No two people experience an event the same way and having support when something occurs that activates our nervous system without integration of the event, can result in ongoing challenges for the individual involved. Connecting to a therapist could help support the child and family in understanding symptoms, processing an event, and moving through the next steps in positive ways.
Your child or teen’s teacher may be reporting challenges at school.
The school may be sharing that your child or teen is not engaging the same way as they once had. This can look like a change in peer interactions, academic performance or their engagement in extra curricular activities. Maybe they are refusing to attend school and are sharing that they do not enjoy school at all anymore. Sometimes children may have big emotional outbursts or shut down completely making it difficult for them to cope and regulate in the school environment. A child and teen therapist can work with the family, school and child to help bridge supports and navigate the challenging time together.
These are just a few of the most common reasons a child or teen may be referred to Canopy Cove Counselling. If you are worried about your child, please feel free to book a consultation call with one of our child therapists and we would be happy to walk you through the next steps you can take.
