Child Therapy: What It Is And What Are Its Benefits
Child therapy or child psychotherapy is a type of therapeutic intervention whose main purpose is to enhance the emotional and social well-being of the child and it differs from adult therapy not so much in the objective of the interventions but in the way of carrying out the relationship and the therapeutic process.
Psychological problems must also be taken into account at an early age, since effective treatment at these ages will positively condition a child’s future and well-being and can prevent future problems in adults.
This form of therapy is based on a set of techniques and methods used to help children who have problems with their emotions or behaviors, and one of the many elements that differentiate it from therapy for adults is that uses play as a key element in therapy. Furthermore, it involves the family (and sometimes the school and/or other institutions and professionals) in the therapeutic process, so the therapeutic relationship and alliance is multiple.
Child therapy is very experiential and experiential. Child therapists implement activities and games to relate and communicate with children. However, language and verbal communication in this type of therapy is also important, as in adult therapy, but it is necessary to adapt it to the developmental stage in which each child is located, both at the level of understanding and expression of language. as well as the characteristics of their cognition and thinking.
And part of the reason for child psychotherapy is that the particularities of the minds of boys and girls present qualitatively significant differences with respect to the minds of adults (and not just quantitatively different). Child psychology is not a poorer and more nuanced version of the psychology of those who are already adults; In fact, children think in a way that compensates for their lack of knowledge about how the world works and, for example, lend themselves more to spontaneous creativity, since their way of thinking has not been “on track” by the fact that they have spent many years doing the same type of work and routines.
Therefore, a child therapist must have in-depth knowledge about evolutionary development, the characteristics of each area (social, cognitive, emotional, etc.) at each moment of the child’s life, and adapt to their way of thinking, feeling and to behave, as well as their needs.
These professionals are experts in helping children develop and build healthy self-esteem, improve communication and social skills, stimulate development and improve their emotional and relational intelligence. In short, child therapists need adequate and specialized training and experience to interact with children using adapted techniques, as well as to train parents in psychological techniques that help influence the behavior and emotions of their children.
Features of play-based therapy
The psychological and emotional problems that affect children, just as in adults, can have an impact on their lives in different ways, for example on their school performance, or can cause behavioral problems.
The benefits of child psychological intervention are multiple and many of them are achieved with techniques such as play-based therapy, in which the therapist creates a protected and structured environment (the therapist acts as a guide) with games and toys, to be able to observe the child’s behavior and investigate in your internal events such as thoughts, sensations and emotions.
Thanks to play-based therapy, the child finds a way of expression that facilitates the communication of their problems, concerns, emotions and thoughts without having to directly verbalize the problem as an adult would do (sometimes the child does not is not even aware of the “problem”) and without feeling threatened or interrogated.
Child therapists use this therapeutic method in different situations, including:
The benefits of child therapy
Thanks to child therapy, the little ones develop social and relational skills, improve self-esteem, learn to face problems, release tensions and, in addition, They have the opportunity to practice tools to improve their emotional well-being and their daily life.
Therapeutic play is an ideal way for children to express and control their emotions, and encourages the expression of their concerns, as it gives them confidence to express their personality and show themselves as they are. In this space the child finds a connection with her own feelings and improves her emotional self-awareness. The game offers the advantage of representing situations from real life but maintaining the emotional distance that the child does not have in his daily life, which allows him to explore and work on possible solutions without feeling the pressure of the consequences of everyday life. .
In addition, parents, who are essential figures in the children’s therapeutic process, also learn to analyze situations where children present difficulties and learn how to intervene in them in a loving, warm and age-appropriate way, helping them to lead a healthier life. adaptive, healthy and happy.
When to take my child to the psychologist
Being a father is, without a doubt, one of the best experiences in life; However, it can also be a very stressful and difficult situation when a child has emotional or psychological difficulties, since parents always want the best for their children and their healthy development. But, How do you know when it is necessary to take your child to a psychologist?
There are a series of signs that may indicate that it is time to take a child to child therapy. They are the following:
Where to go to overcome these problems? Mensalus Institute: specialists in child therapy
From child therapy these problems can be addressed with a treatment aimed at resolving the behavioral disorders of the little ones.
If you are a father or mother and are concerned about the well-being of your child, you can contact a child psychologist from any part of the world. Most psychology clinics in Spain have a multidisciplinary team made up of psychologists, psychopedagogues, speech therapists, etc., highly specialized in the treatment of different problems that affect children and young people: separations, ADHD, emotional and affective difficulties, problems adaptive disorders, learning disorders and difficulties, behavioral disorders, sleep disorders, grieving processes, addiction to new technologies, among others.
These difficult situations can overwhelm any parent, but this center can offer you solutions to improve both your happiness and that of your child.
