Does your child escalate from zero to sixty but then have difficulty telling you what is wrong? Does your child worry a lot or is unable to calm down when upset? Do you find that you are often at a loss at how to alleviate your child’s emotional or social struggles?
It’s often hard to know when to get your child help. When your child’s daily functioning is being impacted by his or her struggles, it usually means it’s time to ask a professional for help.
That being said, most children can really benefit from learning skills to help them self-regulate and express their feelings and needs. Children are not alone in this; many adults can benefit from learning these skills as well.
Self- regulation involves calming the nervous system by understanding whatever it is you are feeling, and then trying to manage the behavior in a more effective and positive manner. Once a child understands what he/she is feeling, he/she is able to express what they need in order to calm their nervous system down.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one helpful tool utilized in teaching children the connection between their thoughts, feelings and actions. In addition to understanding and expressing their own feelings, children can also learn how to understand the feelings of others and that can help them connect to peers and make more lasting impactful friendships.
Kids usually feel emotions more intensely and may react in ways that are less inhibited than adults but they do not always understand what they are feeling, and may struggle to ask for what they need because they themselves do not know
Play therapy is an effective approach that helps children explore and connect to their emotions and experiences through creativity, in a way that feels natural and safe to them.
The client can play without any constraint, expressing and communicating feelings and thoughts with the help of the imagination. The therapist uses sand, toys, props, art and structured games that encourage the client to engage in the therapy sessions.
It is our belief that all kids are motivated, the question is what is it that they find motivating and how can help them attain their goals using more positive and effective strategies.