Is Your Child Struggling With A Major Life Transition?

Are you worried about your child’s ability to cope with a recent change or loss within your family? Has your child been lashing out or acting increasingly irritated? Do you feel like your efforts to help your child on your own have been fruitless?

Perhaps you and your partner have recently separated or divorced, and as you try to settle into a co-parenting routine, your child has found adjusting to these new arrangements difficult. Maybe it seems like your child is regressing in terms of maturity. Your child may be falling behind academically or feeling lonely and isolated at school. If you’ve noticed warning signs that your child may be self-harming, you might feel deeply concerned and helpless.

Change Can Be Destabilizing For Children

In the wake of big changes for your family, your child could be acting out, causing the relationship you have with them to suffer. They don’t know how to handle the complex emotions that such changes bring. Alternatively, they may draw inward and act guarded, leaving you wondering how to get through to them. You might argue and bicker more than ever or feel like your child does not want to open up to you.

If you’ve been unable to solve these problems on your own, you may feel like you don’t know where to turn. By working with a therapist, your child can work through their emotions in a healthy way while building their self-esteem. As a parent, partnering with a counselor can help you create a brighter future for your child.

People Of All Ages Have Trouble Adjusting To New Circumstances

Life transitions can occur at any age. But for children, adapting to these changes can be exceptionally trying because they lack control over their environments. They don’t have the power to choose their circumstances, and they look to the adults around them for stability. When life feels unpredictable, it can be quite confusing and scary, which can lead to behavioral changes.

Children face all sorts of challenges before they are old enough to have any real sense of agency or independence. Parents can separate and divorce, and even children who are exposed to examples of healthy co-parenting can grieve this change. Outside of the home, many children face bullying and intense pressure to conform, especially in middle school and high school. They may feel anxious about living up to certain expectations or fitting in with their peers.

Children’s Experiences Must Be Taken Seriously – Not Minimized

Big life transitions bring grief to children and adults alike. Yet when children try to express their feelings about these difficult changes, they might be told that what they’re going through isn’t a big deal, and within a few years, it won’t even matter. While an adult might see these problems as minor obstacles, a child does not share this perspective, and their experiences and emotions should not be brushed off.

Therapy represents a safe space where your child’s experiences will be treated with compassion. The right counselor will help your child unpack their feelings, express themselves, and work on age-appropriate techniques for dealing with painful situations.

Therapy Can Help Your Child Process Their Feelings In A Healthy Way

You might be worried that your child won’t want to talk to a therapist. At Friends In Transition Counseling, our therapists take time to build rapport with your child, allowing them to open up when they feel truly comfortable.

Through counseling, your child will gradually learn to name their feelings, allowing them to make sense of their experiences. This is the first step on the path to healing. They will also work on skills that can help them better cope with tough scenarios at school and at home. Furthermore, a counselor can help your child address negative thought patterns, strengthen their self-esteem, and improve their emotional regulation.

What to Expect in Child Therapy Sessions

Before your child’s first session, we will meet with you to discuss your concerns about your child and explore their unique needs. Afterwards, your child will attend sessions independently. We will continue to schedule check-in sessions with you at four to six-week intervals. We have found that encouraging parental involvement in the therapeutic process yields better outcomes for children in counseling. If appropriate, we may recommend family therapy sessions.

During sessions, your child’s counselor will work on building up their self-confidence while addressing issues that they have been dealing with at home, school, or in social environments. We will also discuss their relationships to learn more about their support systems and leverage those strengths.

Treatment Approaches for Child Therapy

Depending on your child’s needs, their therapist can integrate multiple therapeutic approaches into their comprehensive treatment plan. If your child is living with other medical issues that influence their mental health, we will factor this into their treatment strategy.

In our practice, we emphasize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT. Through CBT, your child can learn to question their negative thoughts and develop more positive beliefs about themself. We can also incorporate Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing into your child’s therapy sessions. EMDR can be a powerful way to heal past trauma without the painful conversations that are incorporated with traditional talk therapy.

Additionally, several of our counselors are trained in art and play therapy, which will allow your child to work through their experiences by tapping into their creativity. Your child will also work on improving their communication and conflict-resolution skills.

At FIT Counseling, we know that lasting healing is possible. Even in the midst of sorrow and grief, there is always hope. Our therapists are here to guide your child into a new chapter of life so that your family does not have to overcome obstacles alone.

But You May Still Have Questions About Child Therapy…

I’m worried that therapy will be too expensive.

We accept insurance from several major providers, including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Cigna. We also offer sliding scale fees for clients who are uninsured or insured under an out-of-network provider. Furthermore, we provide numerous affordable group services, including group therapy for children of divorced or separated parents and a children’s grief therapy group.

How can I fit therapy into our family’s busy schedule?

We understand that finding the time for therapy can be hard, especially if you work full-time and your child is juggling school and extracurricular activities. To accommodate your schedule, we offer appointments until 8 PM from Monday through Thursday. You can also book appointments on the weekend.

Is a supervised counselor prepared to provide the treatment that my child needs?

At FIT Counseling, many of our young clients work with therapists who are currently in training for advanced degrees. These clinicians are supervised by our Clinical and Executive Directors. If your child attends sessions with a therapist under supervision, they will receive high-quality services from a professional who has already facilitated hundreds of appointments. Our supervised therapists have completed an average of 150 hours of clinical practice before seeing clients at FIT Counseling. As a training center, we can provide pro bono and sliding scale services for clients dealing with economic hardship.

Your Child Can Build Their Confidence Through Therapy

With support from a compassionate counselor, your child can learn valuable life skills that will serve them for years to come. If you’re interested in seeking therapy for your child, please fill out the contact form on our website or call us today at 301-661-3481 to schedule a free 15-minute consultation prior to booking your first session.