Therapy for Children and Adolescents:
Helping Children Thrive Emotionally, Behaviorally, and Socially
Do You Have Emotional or Behavioral Concerns About Your Child?
Are you a parent who needs help understanding how to best support your young one? Does your child demonstrate:· Anxiety, depression, or other emotional challenges?· Behavioral difficulties, emotional dysregulation, self-harm, or suicidal ideations?· Impulsivity, poor decision-making, ADHD, or declining academic performance?Perhaps they get into trouble on the playground or create conflict at home with you or their siblings—or they’re persistently worrying about school performance or social problem-solving. Maybe you’re finally considering child therapy for your own emotional support—or for parenting advice and guidance in managing daily life.Your Child’s Well-Being Can Have A Powerful Impact On Your Own Health
Watching your child struggle with things like low self-esteem, academic pressures, and peer rejection can cause a lot of emotional stress and frustration. As a parent, not knowing how to help or even connect with your child can fuel feelings of helplessness, guilt, and unwarranted self-blame.
At times, their behavior may cause tension and conflict at home that disrupts routines and family activities. Most days, you probably feel burned out and exhausted, yet you don’t sleep well because of anxiety, confusion, and the endless concerns you have for your child.
Our therapists at Foothills CBT understand that raising a child can be as daunting as it is rewarding, which is why we are here. We’ll help your child learn how to navigate adversity, regulate intense emotions, and cope with mental health challenges, all while providing you with tools for managing difficult behaviors and strengthening your connection.
Children Face Extraordinary Challenges In The Modern World
If you think kids have it tougher these days, you are absolutely right. While bullying, peer rejection, and social and academic pressures still have a damaging impact on kids’ self-esteem, children face a multitude of new and unique stressors.
Increasing climate change, wildfires, natural disasters, and acts of school violence induce anxiety and fear. Technology and social media expose kids to cyberbullying, unrealistic self-comparisons, and may contribute to challenges with attention. Hurtful rhetoric in the news and politics, especially related to a child’s personal identity, can make kids feel unsafe and unloved. Moreover, divorce, parental mental health issues, and natural hormonal changes all have the power to negatively impact a child’s emotional security, thus highlighting the importance of child counseling. Many Children Do Not Feel Comfortable Expressing Their Emotions
This often leaves parents unaware of what their child is going through. Plus, many parents are not familiar with strategies to manage their child’s behaviors and emotions. This often leaves them feeling overwhelmed, which can result in responses such as avoidance/giving in, punishment, or shouting. Then, on top of the frustration and sense of powerlessness, they feel guilty and blame themselves, which they don’t deserve.
The truth is that you are doing the best you can, and the fact that you are here on this page proves that—you just need a little guidance. Whether you want to help your child manage their emotional challenges or you simply want to improve your connection with them, therapy offers children and parents real solutions and support.
What Does A Child Counseling Session Entail?
The psychotherapy process typically begins with an initial meeting with the parent/caregiver to learn more about the child’s history, family dynamics, and current concerns and treatment goals. This is often followed by an individual session with the child to better understand their perspective on current concerns and goals.
From there, we work together to build a treatment plan that incorporates the perspective of both the parent/caregiver and child. Ongoing sessions may include individual time with the child, parent sessions, or joint parent-child sessions depending on the needs, age, and goals of the client.
Some of the things we’ll work on during child therapy sessions include:
· Building a relationship of trust and safety with your child
· Exploring, identifying, explaining, and understanding the core problem
· Improving parent/child communication and building positive interactions
· Defining and setting realistic goals/monitoring progress toward success
Our child psychologists also offer real-time coaching to train parents in behavioral and emotional management principles and strategies.
Therapy Equips You And Your Child With The Skills For Success
Supporting your child’s mental health can be challenging, especially without guidance. Counseling for children offers both you and your child the space, support, and time needed to explore emotions, strengthen relationships, and develop effective coping strategies that can have a positive and lasting impact.
We can focus on cultivating mindfulness, improving distress tolerance, and recognizing and reframing unhelpful thought patterns. If childhood trauma, anxiety, or depression are affecting your child, their therapist can tailor a treatment plan to address these concerns as well.
Whatever your needs may be, our goal is to provide you and your child with tools that you can practice in sessions and confidently apply in everyday life.
Therapy Models We Draw From In Child Counseling
· Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps kids and teens better understand the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Kids learn how to challenge unhelpful thinking patterns and alter unhelpful behaviors in order to better manage emotions like anxiety, sadness, and anger.
· Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Parent Management Training (PMT) are similar treatment models for young children with oppositional and disruptive behavior. Both strategies focus on strengthening the parent-child relationship and teaching parents skills for managing difficult behaviors.
· Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, specifically TF-CBT for children, helps kids and teens with post-traumatic stress process their experiences and develop coping skills in a safe, structured manner.
· Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for children teaches teens skills to manage distress, regulate emotions, and navigate relationships more effectively.
· Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages mindfulness and acceptance of difficult emotions while encouraging meaningful actions based on one’s values.
The evidence-based therapy models we use at Foothills CBT are proven to help children and their parents manage emotional, behavioral, and social concerns. We believe that early identification and treatment can truly change the course of a person’s entire life.
With our guidance and support, you can build a stronger relationship with your young one and help them feel more in control of their emotions and behaviors. With the tools your child will gain, they can better cope with challenges and enjoy a more carefree childhood.
Perhaps You Still Have Concerns About Child Therapy…
What role will I play in the child therapy process?
With children eight years old or younger, you’ll be an essential, active participant in counseling. Throughout sessions, your therapist will guide and support you, helping you fine-tune your skills in real time.
For older children, there may be less of a parental presence depending on the desires of the client. That said, we’ll still teach you the skills needed to model appropriate behavior and help your child cope, utilizing the strategies learned in therapy sessions.
I worry my schedule is too full to attend sessions consistently.
We understand it’s hard finding time in the day for another responsibility, but therapy for children can be more flexible than you think. In fact, because kids often prefer in-person counseling sessions, we are available for after-school and evening appointments and can also provide child therapy sessions online if needed.
Therapy is also about supporting parents, which is why we offer parent coaching during school hours. Though it may seem like a big-time investment at first, child therapy can actually save you time in the long term, reduce stress, and make you feel happier and more connected to your family.
I’m afraid that counseling can’t help my child and family.
It’s okay to doubt the effectiveness of counseling, especially if you've tried things in the past that didn't quite work out. Therapy is a process rather than a quick fix. However, the research-driven, evidence-based techniques we use are proven to be effective. Whether your young one is struggling with, childhood depression, anxiety, OCD, or any other emotional and/or behavioral challenges, child counseling can offer you a treatment plan tailored directly to your family’s needs.If your child has been struggling, the best time to reach out for help is now. The sooner they get the pediatric psychology support they deserve, the sooner this important time of their life can become about thriving instead of surviving. We’re here to help.
We Want to Help You Help Your Child Flourish
Our child psychologists at Foothills CBT are here to offer you and your little one the skills, insight, and resources needed to flourish and succeed. Please call 720-432-7061 or email us to schedule an appointment or set up your free 10-minute consultation to learn more about our approach to counseling for children.
Foothills CBT offers in-person and virtual child counseling services for Boulder and the greater area of Colorado.
