Outpatient Counseling Program
Benefits for your child:- Someone
to talk to confidentially about problems
- Someone
to work with him/her individually to learn skills and techniques to cope
with problems
Benefits for parents/guardians:- Convenience
– fewer worries about transportation to and from appointments
- Easier to
communicate/collaborate with the professionals working with your child – on
academics and mental health
Why Counseling?
Unresolved problems or disorders can impede a
child's development or trigger emotional states that cause trauma for the
child, the parents, and the family. The effects may be long lasting.
Child experts agree that significant
childhood problems—including poor bonding with parents—shape future adult work
and social relationships if not treated. “Children who don't get the attention
they need in the early developmental years may have a limited capacity for
intimate attachments, or an inability to commit or empathize as adults,” notes
Dr. Ana Badini, a psychotherapist who has treated adults and children for over
18 years.
Counseling can help children resolve current
problems, as well as provide tools to cope with life challenges later on.
How do you know if your child needs
counseling?
As a parent, you are likely to be the first
to recognize changes in your child's behavior. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry, there are warning signs that indicate that your child is having
difficulty, and may benefit from counseling. Some of these signs are:
- Changes
in school performance, such as dropping grades, missed homework, and
skipping school
- Excessive
worry or anxiety
- Loss
of interest in usual activities
- Change
in sleeping habits or frequent nightmares
- Mood
changes, including temper tantrums, depression, anger, and aggression
- Dangerous
and/or illegal behavior, including:
- Use of alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs
- Inappropriate sexual behavior
- Vandalism
- Theft
- Fighting
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