Individual Child and Adolescent Therapy
Psychotherapy can help children and adolescents in a variety of ways. They receive emotional support, learn to resolve conflict, better understand their feelings and problems, and try out new solutions. For children and adolescents, playing, drawing, building, and pretending, as well as talking, are important ways of sharing feelings and resolving problems. Your therapist can also advise you whether other treatments such as medication, behavior management, or working with the school, or if testing should be considered. Goals for therapy may be specific, for instance, changing a behavior, improving relationships with friends or family members, or the goals may be more general like reducing anxiety or improving self-esteem.
The relationship that develops between the therapist and the child or adolescent is very important. The child or adolescent must feel comfortable, safe, and understood. This type of trusting environment makes it much easier for the child to express his/her thoughts and feelings and to use the therapy in a helpful way.
If you are interested in learning more about the mental health needs of children and adolescents, you may find the below links useful:
