Do you think your child requires the intervention of a mental health professional? Do you want to help your little one improve her life? Discover what child therapy consists of.
When we have children, from the moment they are born we take care of them, since they are little people totally dependent on us to survive. Little by little, considering them still babies, one day they begin to walk, pronounce words, mom… dad… And we continue to be their guide. The job of being parents, among others, is to be by their side. When they become physically ill, we do not hesitate to consult the doctor. What seems so normal to us, sometimes it is difficult for us to apply it in the field of psychology. When a symptom manifests in our child, which we consider necessary the intervention of a psychology professional, go to a child therapy It can be vital to your health.
In many cases in the child psychotherapy , the work can be carried out, in a high percentage, with the parents. Just as a doctor gives instructions to adults, in children’s psychological therapies it can be done in the same way. The parents attend the sessions, explain the situation and from there, the psychologist listens, investigates, evaluates and begins to give guidelines to the parents, so that they themselves can apply the changes at home to face and solve the problem. beginning to see the improvement of the child in particular and reduce the anxiety of the family in general.
Types of child therapy
There are different types of child therapies So that you know how this intervention is carried out with a child therapist, here we will show you the most used therapies with the help of a professional child therapist. According to professionals, child therapy can take the following actions.
1. Play or cognitive behavioral therapy
This type of child therapy has been very effective in helping children overcome various forms of behavioral disturbance. This approach to child psychotherapy helps children develop new thinking patterns, which ends up causing them to react differently to events. In this way, the child therapist helps them have emotional self-regulation. On the other hand, in cognitive-behavioral play therapy, play is used so that children learn to develop more effective skills and behaviors to cope with their problems.
2. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Another way to deal with psychological problems in children is through this child therapy In it the child therapist uses acceptance to calm children and help them create behavioral change. In it, skills are taught to better manage the most distressing and extreme emotions. To achieve this, in this child psychotherapy strategies are taught to be able to face these situations with the best attitude.
3. Applied behavior analysis
In this children’s therapy, socially significant behaviors are taught in real-life settings that may be difficult for some children to understand. In this way, the child therapist addresses different effective strategies so that children learn to use better communication, self-control skills, and cognition. Therefore, this child psychotherapy It is very suitable for those children who may suffer from autism.
4. Family therapy
In family therapy, you interact with the entire family to understand if the problem can be solved through the intervention and collaboration of each of the members. Therefore, the child therapist It can help you understand how to help a child who needs family reinforcement.
5. Interpersonal psychotherapy
The objective of this child therapy It consists of focusing on those maladaptive thoughts that can harm children in different social environments. Therefore, the child therapist focuses on reducing symptoms of depression or other behavioral disorders.
Why go to child therapy?
As you may well know, children do not think like adults. For this reason, if they present problems, it may be difficult for their parents to understand or help them in these types of situations.
In this way, on many occasions children will require additional support. This is because a type of behavior or emotional distress around a problem can lead them to develop habits that are detrimental to their personal and emotional growth. For this same reason, a child therapist can help them better understand these situations and help them address them in the best way.
How to explain child therapy to children?
It can be difficult for parents to communicate to their children the decision to take them to therapy. Talk to children about child therapy It will allow them to understand how important it is to go to this specialist.
The key to communication for little ones is to use vocabulary that is understandable to them. Therefore, you should tell them that this will be a safe place to talk about their problems or their concerns or doubts. Furthermore, it is vital that they see the child therapist like another friend to whom they can tell what happens to them in their daily lives.
On many occasions we believe that childhood is one of the happiest stages of our lives. In the vast majority of cases, the reality is that this is how it is. Therefore, we must take care of the mental health of children during what will be many of the great moments of his life.