Types of Therapies That Can Help Children

It can be difficult to be a parent. You don’t always know how to help your child get through the problems that they are facing. However, you do not need to have all of the answers. Sometimes you may need a little help when it comes to being there for your kids. For example, if they are experiencing depression, behavioral issues, or anxiety, you might want to think about finding them a therapist to work with. There are different therapies that can be utilized to treat a child, so they have a chance of seeing a reduction in some of the symptoms that they are experiencing. Here is a look at some of these therapies.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This is one of the most common techniques utilized in psychotherapy. It is designed to help with mood issues. The therapy addresses thoughts that you have and attempts to change them, so they no longer upset you. For example, if a child learns to not like themselves, they can be taught to think differently about how they feel about themselves. This may have an effect on their mood and help them address certain situations another way.

Narrative Therapy

With this therapy, you are asked to tell stories about your life and your problems. This may sound like an easy thing to do, but actually, when you are telling stories about your life aloud, they sometimes seem very different than what you say to yourself internally. Narrative therapy can help a child understand how to work through their problems and they can be taught that some of the things that are bothering them can be adjusted so they are no longer bothered by them. For more details on how it works, check out this BetterHelp article.

Play Therapy

When a child undergoes play therapy, just as you would suspect, they are invited into a therapist’s office to play with certain toys or to draw. At times, a doctor will tell the child what to play with and other times they will not. They may also choose whether or not to ask a child questions. Instead, they pay attention to how the patient plays with the toys or what they draw in their pictures. This will give the therapist insight on how the child is feeling and what they have gone through. Over time, a child may grow to trust the therapist and talk to them about things that they haven’t talked to anyone else about.

Family Therapy

If the problems a child faces need to be addressed by the whole family, or multiple members of a family, then family therapy may be something that can benefit your youngster. It involves multiple people in a family seeking therapy at the same time. This can help a family be able to communicate with each other better or talk about an event or situation that is affecting the entire family.

Overview

Keep in mind that children are not always able to discuss their feelings in the same way that an adult can, so therapy may be a good course of action for your child. Feel free to do research to see if it is a good idea to get your child therapy and talk to their doctor for advice, if you want to. There are both in-person and online therapy services that you can take advantage of, so you should be able to find a therapist that will be right for your little one. Take your time and ask all the questions that you feel are necessary, so you can find the right therapist. Moreover, you can talk to them about these therapies, so they can give you their opinion on if they will be effective for your son or daughter.

Author Bio: Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.