Is Counseling the Right Step for my Child?
Mental health should be a priority. Consider whether or not counseling services might be the best move for your child with this overview of what it could look like. We all know that life has it’s ups and downs – both adults and children experience a range of stressors, joys, successes, and failures as we work towards our goals. Typically, there are opportunities to reflect and learn from those various experiences.
But what happens when life it just becomes “TOO MUCH?!”
Counseling is the process during which an individual (1) learns, (2) processes, and (3) manages the events of their lives. Often used interchangeably with ‘Therapy,’ both can be helpful in navigating complex emotions and difficulties. Counseling does NOT automatically indicate a mental health disorder or personal weakness/deficiency – we should all work to help clear up that misconception.
3 Components of Counseling
During counseling, the individual can LEARN more about themselves and what they may be going through. Sometimes this includes learning about their personalities, responses, or patterns of interactions that consistently lead to additional stress and anxiety. Sometimes this includes learning new coping strategies or tools to use when they are facing very common life events (moving, new job, making friends, etc.). Just like an athlete, we often make faster progress with the help of a skilled coach and thoughtful encouragement. Sometimes this includes just talking through different situations or scenarios – an outside perspective can reveal things that often go unnoticed to us.
The PROCESSING highlights how questions, encouragement, and summarizing can help “package” our experiences in a way that makes it easier to examine what is really going on. A skilled counselor can help reduce judgment, stigma, and assumptions – leaving only the experience or interaction behind. From that point it can be a bit like solving a rubix cube. The client and counselor try asking different questions, posing hypotheses, ‘turning’ the situation around (metaphorically), ultimately trying to find a way to better understand the presenting concern.
Finally, the client is able to MANAGE the initial concern with confidence, care, and compassion (for themselves or others). It is important to note that the goal does not necessarily have to be fixing, solving, or eliminating the concern. Life is complex, and sometimes there are things that are not great – but we have to learn to live with them. In either case, the counselor and client work towards a circumstance where the client understands the concern but is equipped with information, perspective, or strategies to move forward in a good way.
Counseling can be very helpful and lead to a more fulfilling life. If you are curious about what counseling could do for you, please feel free to email or call for a free consultation.
NEXT STEPS…
At Clifton Psychological Services, Inc. we aim to help you achieve your greatness. Our mental health supports are highly client-centered, and we welcome your inquiries to discuss options that might be most beneficial to you or your loved one.
Contact Us for a free consultation!
