Children and Teen Counseling
Why Do Kids and Teens Need Counseling?
​
Kids and teens need counseling when they have problems they can't cope with alone. Or they need help when problems affect how well they do, feel, or act. If things don't get better on their own, kids may need counseling so things can improve. Sometimes, entire families need counseling while trying to communicate, learn, and create boundaries.
​
What Problems Do Counselors Help With?
-
family problems
-
school problems
-
health problems
Counselors help with feelings like:
-
sadness
-
anger
-
grief
Counselors help kids and teens with conditions like:
-
disruptive behavior disorders
-
trauma-related disorders​
​​
​
How Does Therapy Work?
​
In counseling, kids learn by doing. With younger kids, this means working with the whole family, drawing, playing, and talking. For older kids and teens, counselors share activities and ideas that focus on learning the skills they need. They talk through feelings and solve problems.
Counselors give praise and support as kids learn. They help kids in counseling believe in themselves and find their strengths. Counseling builds helpful thinking patterns and healthy behavioral habits.
​
A counselor might meet with the child and parent together or meet with the child alone. It depends on the child's age. A therapist might also meet with a parent to give tips and ideas for how to help their child at home.
What Happens in Counseling?
​
At first, the counselor will meet with you and your child to talk. They will ask questions and listen. This helps them learn more about your child and about the problem. The counselor will tell you how they can help.
After that, your child will go to more counseling visits. At these visits, your child might:
​
-
Talk: Talking is a healthy way to express feelings. When kids put feelings into words instead of actions, they can act their best. When someone listens and knows how they feel, kids are more ready to learn.
​
-
Do activities: Counselors use activities to teach about feelings and coping skills. They may have kids draw or play as a way to learn. They may teach mindfulness and calm breathing as a way to lower stress.
​
-
Practice new skills: Therapists help kids practice what they learn. They might play games where kids need to wait their turn, use self-control, be patient, follow directions, listen, share, try again, or deal with losing.
​
-
Solve problems: With older kids and teens, counselors ask how problems affect them at home and school.They talk over how to solve these problems.
​​​
​
​
