A child’s emotional well-being and mental health underpins their ability to learn and develop satisfying relationships, to grow into healthy adults. Recognising the individuality of children and working in partnership with parents, carers and professional children’s services is at the heart of the therapeutic work.
How Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy Can Help?
Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy can help children and young people with difficulties in their life which have an emotional basis. All children can experience periods of anxiety and distress that might be expressed in challenging behaviour, acting out or becoming much quieter than usual. These feelings might disappear over time with the help of family, school or friends, but sometimes a different kind of help might be needed.
Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists tailor their approach to fit with individual children and families. After a few initial meetings where there is time to discuss the difficulties and concerns that have led you to contact us, I may see a child or young person individually, in a group with other children or young people or with parents or other family members. I can also see parents or carers without their child being present.
Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists are trained to respond to the way that the child or young person wishes to communicate. It’s often difficult for younger children to find the words to express their feelings, so we provide toys and art materials which they can use to show us what they are thinking and feeling.
I am non-directive in this, following the child’s preferences and lead. In this way I can begin to help children to voice their worries and develop new ways and skills to overcome their difficulties. Whilst teenagers may prefer to talk about their feelings, they might also choose to use art materials through which to communicate.
Research into the effectiveness of Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy has demonstrated the existence of a ‘sleeper effect’, with adults who had been treated as children or young people still feeling its impact many years later.
Who can benefit from Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy?
Whilst some parents may wish to have the opportunity of help to think about child development, the experience of family life and being a parent, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists are also able to work with a wide range of difficulties faced by children and young people. It strengthens relationships between parents, children and their families and supports the development of resilience.
In work with under-fives, Child Psychotherapists might help where there are struggles in the parent-infant relationship; they can support the development of satisfying and secure attachments and help parents and infants to overcome difficulties around sleeping, feeding, excessive crying, separation from parents, aggressive outbursts and tantrums.
With older children, they may see those who are experiencing problems with peer or family relationships, who are underachieving at school or who are demonstrating challenging or anxious behaviour.
In work with adolescents they may see young people who are feeling depressed, angry or anxious, who suffer from insecurity and lack confidence, who have eating disorders or self-harm.
Other reasons for seeking help from Child Psychotherapists may include bereavement, parental separation and divorce, complex emotional and learning difficulties (e.g. ASD, ADHD) and associated behaviours.