Therapy and Counselling for Kids and Teens
Children's Mental Health
Children are faced with the tough task of navigating an adult world full of expectations, hopes, and fears that may not always be appropriate for their stage of development and that are not always consistent between parents, teachers, and other influential people in their lives. Additionally, there is a greater scrutiny of childhood behaviour and mental health than there has been at any point in history. This scrutiny is both helpful and unhelpful. The greater scrutiny of childhood mental health means that more children with legitimate mental health concerns are able to get the attention that they need. The not so helpful side is that the range of what constitutes "normal" behaviour is getting narrower and some children and adolescents are being diagnosed and treated for mental health concerns that may be better understood and addressed through systemic interventions (e.g. family therapy, school curriculum, community resources).
Understanding Child and Adolescent Behaviour
As family therapists we have been trained to understand children's behaviour as an expression of their individual characteristics (e.g. personality, biology, belief systems) and also as an expression of family dynamics and larger systemic influences (e.g. cultural messages, education, peer relationships, financial stresses on families, community dynamics). For example, a kid may act out aggressively because she struggles with regulating emotions; because she is stressed and angry from the conflicts that she has witnessed between other family members; because she is facing harassment or discrimination from peers at school; or some combination.
Therapy for Younger Kids
We typically work with kids within the context of family therapy, as it allows us to harness the wisdom of the parents and work together as a team to support the emotional or psychological needs of the children. Although the goals for therapy may include helping the child manage difficult emotions more easily, or change problematic behaviours, the strategies that are most effective may be ones that happen at the level of parenting, or will require parental support regardless.
Therapy for Teenagers
Teenagers are a slightly different story. While family therapy may still be the best approach for working with issues that teenagers are encountering, there are additional circumstances where seeing a teenager individually may be helpful. Part of the task of an adolescent is to start carving out their own worldview and learning to be more independent of their family. Because of this, teenagers may be reluctant to speak frankly about everything that is going on in front of their parents, especially if they fear that there will be negative consequences for them if they do.
Support for Teenagers and Their Families
There are a myriad of concerns that teenagers and their families are faced with that can be quite frightening to navigate without support. These may include disordered eating, cutting and other forms of self-harm, suicidal ideation, drugs, alcohol, risk-taking, sexual activity, and problems at school. When facing these real and challenging concerns, the parents themselves may need support in how to best support their kids and manage their own painful emotions.
If someone in your family is struggling with self-harm or suicidal ideation, visit our Inside Scoop page under “What should I do if I’m afraid that I might hurt myself or somebody else?”.
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More information on therapy and counselling for: individual adults, couples, and kids & teens.