Saturday, July 2, 2011

Discover Information About Child Counselling Methods

By Lee Gilbert


A number of child counselling styles can successfully help the child deal with behavioral issues, stress, anxiety, and conflicting feelings. CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, examines malformed patterns of thinking to help improve mood and behavior.

Using CBT, the youngster learns that thoughts cause feelings and behaviors rather than others things like situations, people, or events. The therapist helps the youngster learn to recognize thought patterns that are harmful. Once those harmful thought patterns are identified, the therapist will assist the child in replacing the thinking with thoughts that will encourage more suitable behaviors and feelings.

CBT is a talking therapy that is effective in the treatment of several conditions including child depression and anxiety. Once we recognize that our thoughts can govern our behaviors and feelings, we are able to make changes in our thinking patterns that improve our behaviors and feelings even if there is no change in our situation.

There are a number of situations that cause a parent to seek counseling for their son or daughter. When searching for child counseling it is important to keep in mind that communicating with youngsters is not the same as communicating with an adult. There are several counseling techniques that are very effective when working with children and some children may react more favorably to a particular style.

Role playing is a technique that can be very effective and revealing when working with children. The therapist might ask the youngster to help write a play about what it is like at home. Allowing the child to take on the role of a parent or sibling can give the therapist an idea of how they view their position in the family. This will help the youngster understand why they feel and act the way they do.

Gestalt therapy is another type of counseling that is aimed at improving the personal awareness of the person that uses a variety of cognitive and behavioral interventions. Role play, in the form of the empty chair technique, is typically used in this type of therapy. The approach is less intimidating for youngsters since it allows them to express their feelings and address particular people without any repercussions.

Art therapy is another technique that is effective when counseling youngsters. The therapist might ask the child to draw a picture that shows what his or her day was like. Most children like to draw and this type of therapy can help them to relax and feel more comfortable that communicating verbally.

Aside from finding the style that works well for the child, parents will want to consider the length of time a therapist has been working in the field of child counselling. Another consideration should be the percentage of young children that are seen by the therapist. The parent will want to make sure that the therapist has a good amount of experience working with children and sees more than just a few youngsters in their practice. It is also good to know that if one therapist is not helping your son or daughter make progress, it is fine to see someone else.




About the Author:



No comments: