As a parent, you want all the best for your child, including health and happiness. Yet occasionally you and your child may come up against situations that you can’t fix despite your best efforts. If you notice that your child has been behaving out of character or struggling in some way, a child therapist can help restore him or her to health and well-being and teach him or her tools that will help him or her as he or she grows into adulthood.
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. – Proverbs 22:6, NIV
Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(972) 694-0137
At Rockwall Christian Counseling in Rockwall, Texas, counseling for children, also called child counseling or child therapy, is much like counseling for adults in that a professional therapist, equipped with a thorough understanding of the social-emotional needs of a developing child, creates a safe environment and listens well while also helping their client learn to improve their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Children face many of the challenges that adults must handle, including stress, anxiety and/or depression, trouble with transitions, and grief. Due to their young age, children have less understanding and fewer coping mechanisms. A child counselor at Rockwall Christian Counseling will break problems down into child-sized bites that children can process more easily. Just as in adult therapy, the counselor will work with a child to resolve conflict, understand their thoughts and feelings, and learn ways to handle daily stresses while also ensuring that a child knows he or she isn’t alone.
Child therapy can be practiced with one or more children or with a child and his or her parents or caregivers. The goals and styles of child counseling will vary depending on the child’s needs, particularly anything that has a significant impact on the child’s development, mental health, and well-being. The overall goal is for the child to learn skills that will prepare him or her to face current and future challenges.
When a child’s social, emotional, and psychological issues are left untreated, it can negatively impact developmental milestones and create long-term problems that impact the health of the child and others. Addressing a child’s struggles as soon as possible can reduce problems at home, in school, and in friendships while preparing for healthy development into adulthood.
Many children are unable to fully process the complexities that result from the challenges at hand.
Also, child counseling in Rockwall, Texas can be invaluable to children who struggle with issues such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, general anxiety, or depression. A child counselor can identify the underlying issues affecting your child’s well-being so that he or she can receive the treatment he or she needs to feel better.
The primary goal of child counseling is to avail yourself of the knowledge and expertise of a trained child counselor. The counselor will calm your concerns and provide both you and your child with the necessary tools to build a sea-worthy boat in which you can navigate the sometimes scary and stormy, anxiety-provoking, and challenging seas of life with less stress and turmoil.
No parent wants their child to need therapy, and yet whether a child has experienced trauma or is simply struggling with the challenges of being human, therapy can help young people deal with the hard stuff. While it makes sense that parents would consider therapy for challenges such as abuse or behavioral issues, child counseling can be just as effective in focusing on helping a child develop positive self-esteem, setting goals, and learning to live a happy and satisfying life.
However, if you see any of the following attitudes or behaviors, or any other sudden change in your child’s personality, it may be time to contact a child counselor:
- Defiant behaviors such as excessive arguing, complaining, or disobedience
- Unprovoked aggression or violence
- Sudden shifts in interests and habits, including shifts in eating or sleeping patterns
- Excessive worrying or sadness
- An inability to sit still, concentrate, think clearly, or make decisions
- Regression to behaviors previously outgrown, like bed wetting, temper tantrums, separation anxiety, and baby talk
- Social isolation such as not wanting to play with good friends or a lack of desire to leave the house
- Changes in school behaviors and/or academics
- Repetitive behaviors, such as handwashing
- Self-harm or destructive behaviors, such as cutting or alcohol abuse
At first, your therapist at Rockwall Christian Counseling will talk with you and your child, both asking questions and listening, to learn more about you, your situation, and how they can help. Depending on your child’s age and current needs, the therapist may choose to meet with your child one-to-one or to have you involved in some or all sessions. Typically, a session will last just under an hour and take place weekly until you and your therapist are satisfied that your child’s needs have been met.
When meeting with your child, the therapist will choose from a variety of activities to help your child learn to understand and express themselves better. They might spend the whole session talking, playing or drawing, working on activities that will help your child learn while also having fun, practice helpful skills such as deep breathing or learning to self-soothe, or discussing how to solve problems at home, at school, and with others.
Children’s counseling at Rockwall Christian Counseling can address any issue that causes a child social or emotional distress or affects their mental health. Counselors are trained to work alongside your child to identify and learn to manage challenges while maintaining their overall well-being. Some issues that child counselors treat include:
- Family relations, including divorce or remarriage
- Problems at school, including academic struggles or motivation
- Sexual, emotional, or physical abuse or neglect
- Bullying
- Significant transitions such as changing schools or moving
- Addiction within the family
- Negative emotions such as sadness, anger, and shame
- Stress
- Mental health, including anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Test anxiety
- Grief, including the loss of a family member, friend, or a pet
- Social skills
- Eating disorders and body image
In addition to the particular issue that brought your child to therapy, your counselor will help your child build their self-esteem, improve their communication, engage your child in healthy, age-appropriate development, and work with your child on identifying and appropriately expressing the full rainbow of emotions. In short, your child’s therapist will help them understand themselves as an individual in society in age-appropriate ways.
Some parents feel intimidated about how to talk with their child about participating in counseling. Unfortunately, societal stigmas still persist around mental health challenges even though every single person on the planet could benefit from therapy at some point in their life. Here are some tips on how to broach the subject with your child:
- Find a time to talk when your child seems relaxed and unpressured.
- Do your best to appear comfortable and open.
- Begin by assuring your child that you want to talk about something both serious and positive. Your child is not in trouble.
- Talk about what you’ve noticed in your child’s attitudes and behavior, and how normal it is to have big feelings about the challenges we all face in life.
- Listen with your whole mind and heart, taking seriously your child’s concerns, experiences, and emotions.
- Explain that a therapist’s job is to listen well so that they can provide your child with appropriate support.
- Offer your child time to think about it and tell them you’re open to further conversation. Even if you’re already convinced that therapy is the right next step, your child still needs to know that you’re listening, you’re on his or her side, and that you want to take positive steps forward toward your child’s overall well-being.
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. – Matthew 19:14, NIV
Jesus invited children to feel comfortable in His presence. In fact, He promised them God’s kingdom. Our children should feel welcomed into family life and the life of Christian faith. Whatever your child’s struggles may be, it’s so important to help him or her understand it from a perspective of being God’s child who is wholly loved and receiving faith-filled support from their family and other trustworthy adults.
Christian counseling for children in Rockwall, Texas will be rooted in psychological principles, Christian faith, and biblical teaching. Even the most attentive parents will occasionally require help as they attempt to help their own children navigate life’s storms. A Christian child counselor will climb into the boat with you, offering your child paddles of hope and encouragement and whispering sensitive, age-appropriate wisdom throughout the counseling process.
Next Steps
If you’re looking for support for your child or children, feel free to contact us today at Rockwall Christian Counseling. We would be happy to meet with you and your child to discuss your situation and help your child develop practical techniques for approaching his or her life, including its various challenges, from a Christian perspective.
Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(972) 694-0137
