These symptoms can be easily overlooked because of their co-occurrence as the expected behaviour of a child. However, if you keenly observe a mentally challenged child, you can quickly notice some unusual behavioural changes. This is the time when you will need to set an appointment with a child psychologist. Early recognition of symptoms can lead to more effective treatment outcomes in kids.
What do child psychologists do?
Child psychology deals with the psycho-developmental aspects of children. The importance of child psychology lies behind the fact that the most complex psychological issues can be targeted very easily during the early years of infancy. The role of a kids psychologist is to identify and resolve the psychological and behavioural problems in children. It requires a different approach to deal with the behavioural issues of kids as compared to adults. The most crucial roles of a child psychologist:
- Research the most complex behavioural issues in children.
- Advise the parents about the healthy behavioural development of their children.
- Diagnose psychological illnesses in children by using specialized tests and assessments.
- Work in close coordination with the family doctors.
- Identify the issues in confidence and self-esteem of a child.
Can one parent take the child to a psychologist for help?
It is essential to seek counselling for your kids as soon as you realize something unusual with their behaviour. A child psychologist cannot work without the consent of a child’s parents. From parents, we mean both parents. You both need to show a willingness to consider psychological counselling or therapy for your kids. If one parent fails to provide consent, the other parent can find himself/herself in a challenging situation. Following are the reasons why permission from both parents is essential for kid psychologist:
- It ensures the protection and safety of both parents and the child psychologist.
- It helps in mutual understanding of the therapeutic process.
- A child is most comfortable when both parents are on the same page.
- Counselling for kids is most successful when both parents show their output about the behavioural changes of their child.
- Therapy for kids requires a deeper understanding of a child’s personal and family history. It is impossible to get all of the details when one parent is not taking an active part in therapy.
- In most cases, the behavioural changes in children are directly related to the behaviour of one or both parents. So, both parents must show a willingness to bring the necessary changes in the family system.
Once consent is signed by both parents, it doesn’t really matter who takes the child to the psychologist. In most cases, children are most comfortable with their mothers during the counselling session. You can work around your schedules so that your child cannot miss his regular sessions. On some points, your child psychologist may need you both during sessions. The critical point is mutual consent that is imperative to keep things smooth throughout the process.
How can a kids psychologist help your child?
The job of a kids psychologist is to identify and eliminate the root causes of negative behavioural changes in children. A child psychologist can help to overcome the difficult situations of a child’s life like:
- Family issues
- School issues
- Bullying issues
- Health issues
Feelings play a significant role in the psychological development of a child. An over or under-expression of basic emotions can cause trouble for your child. these feelings are:
- Sadness
- Anger and frustration
- Stress and anxiety
- Low self-esteem and lack of confidence
- grief
A child psychologist can effectively target the triggered feelings in your children that are causing damaging impacts on their personality.
Sometimes children suffer from full-blown mental conditions. In that case, counselling for kids becomes more imperative. A kids therapist a child suffering from:
- ADHD
- Depressive disorder
- Anxiety disorder
- OCD
- Disruptive behaviour disorder
- Traumatic disorder
Counselling for 16-year-olds and teens:
Drastic hormonal changes in teenage years can trigger extreme emotions. This is the period when the coping abilities of a person being tested. Some essential coping skills are developed during the adolescent years because teens are subjected to newer challenges in their lives. This is where a teen psychologist can offer his help. Teens don’t like to open up about their mental conditions because of the associated stigmatization. However, it is essential to educate them about teen counselling. It can help in better mental growth in this population.
The crucial roles of a teen psychologist are:
- Identify and address the individual needs of a teen.
- Listen and reflect on their experiences and expectations. It is the most critical aspect of teen counselling.
- Diagnose the psychological conditions (if any).
- Differentiate between the danger and drama to quickly address the life-threatening issues. Teens with mental breakdown often have suicidal thoughts.
- Activate and modify their family system because many issues in teen’s psychology arise from his/her family system.
Conclusion:
The behavioural changes in children can shed some light on the underlying psychological illnesses. A child psychologist will help parents in identifying, coping and treatment of these conditions. Counselling for kids requires a different approach as compared to adult counselling. Teenagers are most prone to psychological illnesses because of sudden hormonal changes and newer life challenges. A teen psychologist can effectively handle these teen-specific psychological issues with his specialized approach.