Does Your Child Suffer With Anxiety, Stress And Sadness?
Does your child have anxieties or fears related to school or other social environments? Is your child irrationally upset when an expected plan changes? Does your child experience separation anxiety when he or she is not with you? Perhaps you have received concerning reports from teachers or fellow parents about your child’s unusual behavior. Does he or she regularly act out in class or struggle to keep up academically, socially or emotionally?
Parenting can be incredibly rewarding, but is not without its difficulties. Seeing your child anxious or in pain can be extremely stressful and tough to cope with, especially when the stress appears to originate from within. It may be that your daughter feels anxious and confused about a school project or a sport. Your son’s physical ailments may seem to escalate when he feels under pressure. While you feel his or her pain and hate to see your child suffering, you may not know where to turn. Do you simply want to help your child cope with life’s stressors, so that he or she can live with more joy, resilience and peace?
Young, school-aged children are often faced with new challenges and adjustments in their routine that can be stressful for them. Going to school for longer periods of time, starting new extracurricular activities, making new friends, or meeting Mom or Dad’s new significant other for the first time are all exciting, but can also be anxiety provoking. Many children need coaching to learn the skills needed to manage their stress, reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety and learn techniques for positive self-talk. You know that your child can thrive, but he or she has to know it, too.
Most parents will try anything to help their child. But it’s not always easy to do so. When a child is struggling, parents often become worried and sad, too. Some parents experience feeling angry or helpless to change the situation. This is why outside support and guidance can make such a difference during difficult times. A child therapist can provide objective insight and perspective that family members may not see. And, children do not live in a vacuum; the family plays a large role in their mental health. Sometimes stress from other parts of the family, like a death, a special-needs sibling, or a move, impacts a child in curious ways. You or your child might not have the insight into the source of his or her stress. Other times, you may know exactly what the problem is but feel powerless to fix it. In child counseling sessions, together we will process through your child’s feelings, offer support and guide her towards solutions.