What is child behaviour counselling?
When we think of Behavioural Counselling or Behavioural Therapy we often think of children with disorders such as ADD, ADHD, Autism etc. The truth is, there are many children who are often overlooked as needing to see a professional in these areas because their behaviour is the exact opposite of what you would expect from a child who needs professional support.
Whilst children with traditional behaviour disorders are often loud, destructive and aggressive, too often the quiet child is the one that is internalising their feelings. They are often unable to express how they are feeling or unable to share if there is something happening in their life that is impacting them, and this can manifest as emotional conditions such as anxiety, depression and the inability to socialise with their peers.
Behaviour encompasses how a child reacts and behaves in day to day situations. Anger, rage, tantrums, destruction, shyness, tears, feeling sick, anxiousness are all signs of behaviours of varying degrees.
Regardless of the behaviour, if it is a large part of a child’s personality, and is left unchecked, it can have a major impact on a child’s life. The destructive child will struggle to learn, to make good choices and to assimilate into society. The quiet anxious child will struggle to make friends and end up isolated and withdrawn. This then leads to adults who are unable to cope with the busy and stressful world we live in.
A child’s behaviour is a result of something that is happening in their world. The behaviour is often the only way a child can express what they cannot verbalise. It does not mean that a child has suffered a direct trauma or abuse, it can be caused by the behaviours being modelled to them by the important people in their life, by environmental factors, or other outside influencing factors.
Why children and teenagers might see a counsellor?
What is most important is that the child receives the necessary intervention to not only get to the bottom of the behaviour but to also provide the child with the necessary tools and techniques to help them to deal with what is causing the behaviours and how to draw on these techniques to counteract the behaviours moving forward.
Talk therapy alone is often not enough to create lasting change for a child. For many children (and adults alike). Expressive therapies such as Clay Field Therapy, Art Therapy and Sand Play Therapy allow the therapist to work with the child and to interpret their actions and reactions through the therapy. The therapist is guided to provide the child with the tools and techniques they need to enable them to modify their behaviours and responses and deal with any underlying causes, so the child can learn to live free of the impact of the specific behaviours.
Finding the right therapy for your child
At Innate Therapies we offer a variety of therapies and techniques within our counselling sessions and work with children of all ages to empower them to live their life to the fullest.
If you have a child who could benefit from seeing Donna – please click here to make an appointment.
