Our counselors in Maumelle, AR offer child therapy

Laura is a precocious twelve-year-old who has struggled with bullying from her peers that has resulted in her desire to avoid school and other social situations with people her age. Because of her above-average intelligence, she’s typically been content reading and exploring the world around her. However, her parents worry about her social development, self-esteem, and a possible Asperger’s diagnosis.

The good news is, counseling can help. A trained child therapist can help Laura develop strategies for dealing with any negative interactions with peers, help her think of ways to find and make friends that would be more positively suited, and can perform testing to determine if Laura does fall on the autism spectrum, in which case additional counseling could be helpful and other academic accommodations can be made.

Child therapy isn’t just for helping children build self esteem or diagnosing possible disorders. It can help children overcome loss, recover from trauma, and learn skills for coping with peer pressure, among other things. If your child is struggling, or if you just want to provide them with a neutral third-party to listen, Thriveworks Maumelle counselors are here for you.

The Pain of Watching Your Child Struggle

There’s nothing quite as painful as watching your child struggle. It can keep you up at night wondering what to do to help them feel better. We want the best for our children, the happiest life, the most success, and to watch them go through emotional and mental turmoil, much of which is out of their control, can make us feel out of control.

If your child is struggling, even if you’re not certain why, contact us. We’re ready to talk with you about your child’s situation and help you make a decision about which direction to take their care.

When to Seek Counseling for Children

It’s time to seek counseling for your child if any struggles they are experiencing are interfering with their daily activities. However, children are, in some ways, better at coping than adults are, and may hide their pain out of fear of failure or fear of disappointment. You know your child better than anyone, and even if their daily activities haven’t been impacted, but you know something is wrong, give us a call. Getting your child the help they need can prevent any trauma or negativity from rooting itself in their psyche and causing problems later on. One of the main reasons adults come to therapy is for depression and anxiety, which is often caused by unresolved trauma that occurred during childhood. You can help prevent those issues from popping up later in life by simply providing your child with a little extra help now.

If your child is being bullied or teased, therapy can certainly help, but therapy for children has been used successfully in many other situations as well. In fact, therapy can help with everything it can help adults with—trauma, coping with the divorce of parents and later remarriage, abuse of any kind, the loss of a parent, and more. Children are incredibly resilient and able to move on from stressful times to have a good life. However, children don’t have the perspective to cope in the same ways adults do, and when life gets too serious for a child to handle, a professional can help.

Thriveworks Maumelle counselors do their job for one reason: because we care. We don’t want to see anyone suffer needlessly, especially a child. We know how much therapy for children can increase the chances of successful outcomes. You don’t have to wait any longer. We have experienced child therapists ready to see you and your child immediately.

How a Therapist Can Help

There are several psychotherapy approaches that may be appropriate for your child. Most commonly used is cognitive behavioral therapy, in which the therapist helps the child identify harmful thought patterns and replace them with more positive thoughts, resulting in more appropriate feelings and behaviors (see Further Reading).

While you know your child best, certain situations benefit from professional help. Your child trusts you, but may not know how to open up about unusual circumstances. You love your child and want to help, but may not be certain how to help them recover from painful or difficult experiences—experiences you yourself may be struggling to cope with.

A child therapist is trained in talking appropriately with children in a way the child can understand. The therapist will be able to ask questions that encourage open, honest answers from your child, enabling them to help your child reframe the situation in a healthier way.

Many children need help coping with a specific situation, and once it’s overcome they discontinue therapy, though they may have an appointment a couple of times a year to make sure the child is continuing to cope well with any life changes. However, child therapists are also able to do testing for a variety of diagnoses, including autism and ADHD. Imagining your child with a diagnosis may initially seem scary, but receiving an appropriate diagnosis from a professional can actually be a major relief. If your child has been exhibiting behaviors that are causing trouble at home or school, finding out there’s a concrete reason may feel affirming—and more importantly, it opens up possibilities for treatment, including therapy, that can get the child and family on the road to a more positive outlook.

Thriveworks Maumelle Child Therapy

Thriveworks Maumelle counselors know you want nothing as much as you want your child’s success and happiness—and you want to get them help as quickly as possible. For that reason, we don’t keep a waiting list. Don’t wait any longer to get your child on the road to a happy, healthy, successful life.

Further Reading
“Psychotherapies for Children and Adolescents.” 2013. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Aacap.org.