Does My Child Need to See A Therapist?

Seeking out therapy for your child is not an easy decision. It can be confusing to distinguish between normal behaviors and behaviors that may be of concern and need further intervention. If you are concerned, it is important to know that the sooner you get help, the sooner your child can overcome any difficulties that they are experiencing and you the parent can also learn skills to help your child as well. When determining what signs to look for here are three questions you can ask yourself:

Is my child having significant changes in their behaviors at home, school, or community setting that are outside of the norm of their typical behaviors? 

When a child is struggling with something, their behaviors start to change in the areas where they spend most of their time. Children typically do not have the words to tell you something is wrong so they will show you, through their behaviors.

Some behavioral changes to look for include sadness, irritability, nightmares, regressive behaviors,  excessive fears and worries that were never there before, separation anxiety, significant changes in grades, perfectionism, avoidance of engagement in activities the child typically enjoys.

Are these changes in behavior affecting your child's relationships with others in the home, community or school settings? 

If you start to notice that your child’s interactions with others are changing as a result of the behaviors they are displaying, this is another great indicator that your child may be struggling with something and could benefit from professional support.  

Behavioral changes in relationships may look like aggression or withdrawing from peers , changes in the way your child responds or interacts with you, irritability, anger and clinginess when around others.

Are the behaviors causing physical or emotional harm to your child or others?  

If your child’s behaviors are physically or emotionally causing harm to themselves or others then this is an indicator of something more going on beyond normal behaviors. Examples of harm could be suicidal comments (seek out immediate help or take your child to the emergency room), hair pulling, scratching themselves, physical or verbal aggression towards others.

The truth is childhood can come with difficulties. Although no parent wants to imagine that their child is struggling, getting help for your child will allow them to learn effective tools to cope with the difficulties they are experiencing so that they can overcome them and get back to focusing on just being a kid!

If the changes you are seeing in your child are new, repetitive or lasts more than two weeks that is a sign to seek out professional help. If you are noticing these signs in your child and are in need of support reach out to Child Therapy Solutions in Charlotte, NC where we specialize in addressing trauma, anxiety, and depression in children. You do not have to figure this out by your self , contact us for solutions!