With the stigma of mental health, parents don’t consider the fact that their child needs therapy, which is unfortunate because it can change lives drastically. Whether your kid is facing traumatic stress, abuse, neglect, or an act of negative beliefs, a qualified therapist can help you focus on positive growth and strengths.
Child therapy sessions focus on working towards an optimistic future, developing effective coping strategies, and boosting self-confidence. It can be practiced with a child and parents, administrated by an adolescent counsellor in Dubai that cover a wide range of issues, including:
• Death of a loved one
• Divorce
• Past trauma
• Bullying
• Physical and emotional abuse
• Family or child relocation
• Substance abuse in the family
• Mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder
What is Child Therapy?
Child therapy or counselling is similar to therapy for adults. It offers a comfortable and empathetic space while providing proven tools and techniques to children to bring a difference in their feelings, thoughts, and behaviours.
A counsellor encourages kids and teens to focus on resolving conflict, understand their own feelings and thoughts, and become problem-solver. A professional works with children as well as parents to offer them valuable insights into what’s happening and how they are not alone in a painful journey.
Therapy session focuses on important goals, such as:
• Building a child’s self-esteem and confidence
• Helping to improve communication skills
• Stimulate mood, good health, and mindset development
• Building an appropriate emotional perspective
Different techniques, exercises, and lifestyle modifications are combined depending on the child’s age to understand their challenges and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
Adolescent Counselling Techniques
At the adolescent stage, a child starts to reach new heights of independence and is beginning to experiment and likely to question their identity at times. Problems with communication and sudden emotional and physical challenges are common experiences at this point. An emotional child may suffer from one or more variety of issues, including mental illness, ADHD, anxiety, or even autism spectrum disorder. Whatever the issue, adolescent counselling can help you cope with it.
1. Cognitive Therapy – It involves reducing anxiety and learning creative ideas to channel children’s feelings and energy in the right place. It will help kids and teens to determine inner thoughts and replace negative ones with helpful ones.
2. Applied Behaviour Analysis – This can help children learn how to respond to situations in better and more effective ways. It will also teach them about punishment and rewards for their behaviour.
3. Play therapy – It is great for younger children with emotional issues as they can act them through toys or dolls.
The type of techniques that will work best for your child may depend on the stage of development and severity of the symptoms. A few common and evidence-based techniques include the feeling word game, the mad game, the slow-motion game, bubble breaths, and the second story.
Conclusion:
If a parent or guardian is not sure what’s wrong with their child’s behaviour, it is best to work with the best clinical psychologist in Dubai to provide reliable support. As a parent, be open, and authentic, and talk through the child’s concerns, experiences, and emotions to acknowledge if there are any threats to their safety.
You can use many effective forms of child therapy, including applied behaviour analysis, cognitive behavioural therapy, family therapy, and more that may benefit your child in long term.
About the Author:
Nikita Barretto, is a licensed clinical psychologist in Dubai, specialising in adolescence, adults, and couples’ therapy, backed by multicultural experience. The therapy approach has always been to help people develop coping strategies and create the life they envision.
