What is counseling for children? Just as an adult would see a counselor for help in a specific area of life, children are similar. They can go to counseling to find solutions for struggles, to learn about their own strengths, and to overcome fears or anxieties they’re facing.
At Flower Mound Christian Counseling, a licensed counselor will listen with empathy, help the child set goals and examine the struggle through a solution-based line of therapy.
Some types of counseling for children include:
- Play Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
- Family Therapy
- Group Therapy
Different types of counseling help children with different kinds of needs.
Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(469) 333-6163
There are many reasons a child would benefit from seeing a counselor in Flower Mound. Just like adults, children need help coping with major transitions in life: divorce, death of a loved one, or when the family moves to a new place. However, children also need counseling for everyday life. Some need counseling to help with social anxiety while others may need counseling to talk through fears, anger issues, or feeling less confident than others his or her age.
In addition to learning coping skills for everyday life, some children have mental illnesses that may go undiagnosed. One study says that 1 in 5 children in America struggle with some form of mental illness, and that nearly half of all children with learning difficulties have attention deficit disorder. With these disorders, a child may struggle to understand who he or she is, to embrace his or her strengths, and to feel seen and heard in his surroundings.
- Regression: This is when a child reverts back to a habit or lack of control well past the age at which he or she had mastered it. It could include bed-wetting, throwing temper tantrums as if he/she was a toddler even when he/she is older, or a return to sucking his or her thumb.
- Frequent nightmares: If your child has had a sudden onset of nightmares that continue over time, this would be a reason to seek a professional counselor’s help.
- Angry outbursts or frequent tantrums: Irritability and anger are normal for children who have an argument with a sibling or whose parents have denied something he or she wants. But when anger seems to be the dominant response even small requests, a counselor can help you and your child discern what the best next steps are.
- Excessive worrying or fear about leaving you: When a child is young, around the toddler age, we expect some separation anxiety. However, if a child is school-aged and still struggles deeply to disconnect from his or her parents and connect with peers, a children’s counselor can help.
- Dropping interests he or she has had for a while: It is normal for kids to try a sport one year and decide they want to do something different the next — or play violin for six months and then decide piano would be more fun. However, if your child has always loved art, drawing, or outdoor activities, and then he or she suddenly has no interest whatsoever in anything related to these activities, there may be an issue worth exploring.
- Crying and talking about feeling overwhelmed or sad more than usual: Shifts in hormonal development mean wide emotional swings when children start to reach the 8- to 10-year-old mark — and even more as they approach preteen and teen years. However, if your child says he or she is overwhelmed quite a bit and/or is crying at what seems like just about anything, it may be time to speak with a trained counselor and let him or her ask some questions to help you navigate this time period. Even if the feelings are due to hormonal shifts, a trained counselor can help your child talk about how he or she feels and can provide some strength-based solutions for how to handle tough emotions.
- Difficulty concentrating or making even small decisions
- Preoccupation with how he or she looks and/or changes in diet or lifestyle
- Difficulty adjusting to new situations
- Talking about self-harm or self-loathing, or bullying behavior to other children or animals
Depending on the type of counseling a child needs, the sessions with a counselor in Flower Mound can look different. However, in most cases, a counselor will want to meet with one or both parents first. An assessment will help the counselor understand what you’re seeing in your child’s behavior and he or she will ask questions about your child. This will help him or her assess what kind of counseling will be most beneficial for your child.
In individual counseling, he or she may simply play while in a session. However, the counselor is trained to identify what the child’s struggles and needs are while they play. By asking questions and talking about what may be bothering the child, a counselor can suggest ways to cope with struggles.
For example, a child may be struggling with listening to his or her parents or have trouble focusing in school, so a trained counselor may recommend an evaluation for a ADHD. Or if a child is struggling with friendship development, a trained counselor in Flower Mound may ask questions to help the child understand some strengths he or she has and some ways to relate to other children who have similar strengths.
Even if your child’s struggles are related to coping with everyday stress or life transition, it can be very beneficial for him or her to hear from an outsider’s perspective — a trained counselor who can make suggestions that make sense for your child. During a counseling session, a child often learns better how to talk about his or her feelings in a way that helps him or her express what’s going on when life throws him or her a curve ball.
Counseling can be frightening for a child who doesn’t understand what it’s like. So take the conversation slowly, and being by asking a question — and then listening intently to your child’s answer. You might choose to start with how your child is doing.
If he or she is angry much of the time, it may be worth asking something such as, “Are you still having a lot of anger or feeling mad most days of the week? Tell me about it. Why do you think that is?” Or if your child has struggled with fear and anxiety, you might begin with, “What causes you fear?”
Once your child has opened up just a little, you can suggest that he or she may like to talk with someone who understands the needs of children, someone who can be confidential, and someone who might be able to help him or her overcome what he or she is going through. Explain that a counselor in Flower Mound will be encouraging, compassionate, and nonjudgmental toward your child.
You can even suggest just one or two visits with the counselor so that your child has a better understanding of what to expect. If your child enjoys playing with a specific toy, game, or engaging in art, this may also appeal to him or her — many counselors use these techniques to help a child feel more comfortable.
If you feel your child may need a counselor, but you aren’t sure, we have several trained children’s counselors at Flower Mound Christian Counseling who can help you discern your next best step. Contact us today to get your questions answered, and we’ll guide you toward the best decision for your child.
Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(469) 333-6163