TELEHEALTH AVAILABLE! OUR PRACTICE OFFERS VIDEO BASED ACCESS TO OUR CLINICIANS ANYWHERE IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA
Child Counseling
Are You Concerned For Your Child’s Development And Mental Well-Being?
Do you have to fight tooth and nail just to get your child out of bed and onto the school bus in the mornings? Are they suddenly getting bad grades at school, having trouble interacting with their peers, or withdrawing from family members at home? Are you worried that your young one is showing signs of childhood depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or anger management issues?
Perhaps your child is demonstrating unexplained behavioral problems and lashing out at others or refusing to listen to directions. Or maybe they have lost interest in toys, video games, or activities they once enjoyed, and you worry that it’s not just a phase.
Witnessing your child struggle is a frustrating and disempowering experience. And understanding—much less remedying—the problem yourself is nearly impossible given that most parents don’t have the tools and insight needed to be successful. Moreover, most kids don’t even have the vocabulary to articulate their pain. The combination of those two factors can be powerfully frustrating for everyone involved. As a parent, you can’t understand their loss of appetite, mood swings, or the emotional disconnection between you. And your child is probably starting to doubt their abilities and self-worth because they don’t know what’s going on either.
At Peninsula Child and Family Services, we understand that parenting is always a challenge, but you needn’t strive to safeguard your child’s well-being on your own. Working together, we can help you and your young one identify, understand, and overcome any obstacles that are holding them back from being happy and healthy.
Children Face A Range Of Dynamic— Often Unseen—Challenges
Kids these days face a diverse field of challenges that most of us couldn’t even imagine existing when we were growing up. And though, as a parent, you may notice shifts in the way your child handles social interactions or adversity, it can be difficult to decipher those changes on your own. In fact, issues with anxiety, depression, and ADHD in children can sometimes be confused with disobedience and defiant behavior, especially in the classroom. Undiagnosed trauma or unresolved grief and loss can also have a silent but devastating impact on young people and how they interact with the world.
Childhood—in particular, the formative middle school years—are rarely easy for a kid to navigate. They’re beginning to form their own sense of identity and self-worth through the validation of peers. They have to navigate social aspects of fitting in with a larger student body. And then there is the challenge of dealing with underlying and misunderstood mental health issues.
So when bullying and academic stress come into play, it can be easy for a child to become overwhelmed and question themselves—or even shut down entirely. In addition to traditional stressors, kids now have to prematurely deal with body image issues, social media exposure, and very real existential crises caused by things like climate change, economic status, and COVID-19. Over time, this stress can build up, greatly reducing a young person’s quality of life and impacting their health years down the road.
Although it may be a confusing time for you as a parent, there is a way to ensure your child’s emotional, social, and developmental well-being in the long run. With the help of our specially trained therapists who treat young children, you can gain the parenting skills and education you need to help your child succeed and thrive well into the future.
Child Therapy Can Offer You Clarity And Solutions For Helping Your Child Flourish
Our interactive approach to therapy utilizes children’s natural instincts for play in order to connect with them in a way that makes them feel safe and comfortable expressing themselves. Therapy gives them a chance to learn how they feel, identify where those emotions are coming from, and develop skills for communicating better. You, as a parent, have an opportunity to cut through the confusion and get a grasp on what is really affecting your child and how to address it at home. We’ll also equip you with coping skills for managing any stress or tension that may be adding to the problem.
We use Play Therapy, art therapy, and a child-centered approach to understand and address each family’s specific needs. While the idea of playfulness as a therapeutic device may raise an eyebrow, talking to a five-year-old for 45 minutes is nearly impossible. Play therapy enables us to connect with children, hold their attention, and communicate in a sustainable way. Our office is filled with toys, games, art supplies, puppets, sand tray art—a variety of things that naturally stimulate kids. Using concepts they are already interested in, we can bridge the communication gap and connect in a way that is honest and non-threatening. In time, we can also use the therapeutic space to track, echo, and model positive behaviors.
In addition, we’ll equip you with coping skills and parenting strategies that you can practice in-session to make your life easier at home. We’ll also help you assume accountability for self-care, relieving stress that could be exacerbating tension in the family. No matter what you are going through, we’ll make sure that our solutions align with your goals, taking cues from what you are already trying at home.
At the end of the day, as a caring parent, all you want to do is make sure your child is going to be okay. At Peninsula Child and Family Services, we understand that concern, which is why our ultimate goal is to guide your young one toward positive mental health and greater overall well-being. And while therapy can offer you relief as well, you will be equipping your child for a life of success and happiness far down the road.
Perhaps you are considering child therapy but still have some concerns…
If my child needs counseling, does that mean I am a bad parent?
The fact that you took this step in learning how to manage your child’s symptoms and work on their behalf makes you a great parent because you are listening! And listening to them and being attentive to their needs is a majority of the battle—even if you don’t understand what is going on. There are so many factors that play into a child’s development, reaching out for help now may be the best thing you can do for them in the future.
I’m not sure what is going on with my child.
When a child faces adversity, the signs and symptoms of what they are experiencing can be all over the map. So getting your child into counseling and working as a family can help you both learn more about what they are going through and address concerns effectively. Using open lines of communication, psychoeducation, and even family therapy sessions (if desired), we can break down barriers, facilitate healing, and find solutions for helping your child move forward in their life with confidence.
How long will counseling take?
Although it depends on the presenting issues and the individual child, kids generally need 8 to 12 counseling sessions before our work together starts to click. And because children naturally have shorter attention spans, our sessions are only 45 minutes long as opposed to 60 minutes for parents. However, we can customize sessions according to your preference. Regardless of your situation, we’ll equip you and your child with the strategies, skills, and insight needed to achieve both immediate and long-term relief.
Protecting And Healing Your Child Is Possible
Raising kids is a naturally challenging experience, but if you are at a loss and looking for ways to support your child, we can help. Please call (757) 977-0889 and ask for a free, 10-minute consultation. You can also email us any questions or visit our office in Hampton, Virginia.