What is child psychotherapy?
Child psychotherapy is the process whereby a child is helped in a relationship with a psychotherapist to resolve emotional, behavioral or interpersonal problems. The process is designed to change the child in some way, either to ease emotional pain, change undesirable behavior, or improve relationships between the child and other people who are important in the child's life.
How does a psychotherapist help a child to change?
Change in the child is effected by a variety of methods. Commonly used methods are a range of behavior modification techniques, many forms of play therapy, family therapy and individual counseling.
When is play therapy appropriate?
This method is appropriate whenever the child's communication with the therapist can be assisted through the medium of play. Anyone who has worked with children, especially young children, knows how difficult it can be for a child to talk about feelings and the kinds of human interaction problems that often bring the child to the clinic. If the therapist and child are in a setting that has play materials, the child can find a balance of expression through action, fantasy and language.
When is play therapy not appropriate?
Many children are brought to mental health professionals with problems that might be more effectively helped through techniques other than play. If the parent is unhappy with a child's behavior, such as not picking up his or her room, talking back, staying out past the time set for being home and the like, then it is unreasonable to expect that play would necessarily change the child's behavior. Parent counseling or parent-child sessions would be a more direct means of tackling these kinds of problems.
Can play therapy be used with other therapies?
Yes. Often children are brought to mental health professionals with a symptom such as bed-wetting, learning disability or attention deficit disorder, and also with associated feelings of incompetence, shame, depression and negative self-image. In these cases the approach could be twofold: a)direct intervention on the symptom and b)psychotherapy with play techniques to help the child change his or her negative feelings and attitudes.
Will my child's school be involved?
Yes. If the problems that the child experiences occur primarily in the school setting, his or her therapist, with parental permission, can be an active partner with the school in order to assure a successful positive behavior change.
How do I know if my child's behavior problem is so severe that professional help is needed?
Apart from the severity, persistence and resistance to change of a child's problem, there are certain signs to look for that indicate that a child is experiencing serious psychological difficulties:
- Prolonged, constant anxiety, apprehension or fear which is not proportional to reality.
- Signs of depression, such as a growing apathy and withdrawal from people.
- An abrupt change in a child's mood or behavior so that he or she just does not seem to be him or herself anymore. For example, a very considerate and reliable child suddenly acts irresponsible, self-preoccupied and hostile to others.
- Sleep disturbances, such as sleeping too much, not being able to sleep enough, restless or nightmarish sleep, not being able to get to sleep or waking up early.
- Appetite disturbances, including loss of appetite, weight gain due to excessive eating or eating bizarre substances such as dirt or garbage.
- Disturbances in sexual functioning such as promiscuity, exposing oneself or excessive masturbation.
Will the parents be involved in their child's therapy?
Absolutely. Parents will be involved in each step of the child's therapy. It will be the therapist's goal to have the parents learn the most effective way of relating to their child and to be successful in understanding their child's feelings and attitudes in order to prevent or find an appropriate method of resolving future problems or difficulties.
How can I find out more information about child psychotherapy?
Catholic Charities has therapists who are available to discuss your child's problem and can suggest realistic approaches to the problem that your child may be experiencing, or refer you to the proper agency to best help your current situation. If a consultation is needed to further assess the problem, an appointment can be made with one of our therapists at that time.
We look forward to assisting you with this important topic.
Please contact us at one of our branch offices.
