Counseling for Children

Counseling for children is focuses solely on the child in the therapy room. The therapist works with the child individually on a regular basis for as long as needed to see progress in areas of concern. Parents often find themselves unsure of how to handle their children when they are struggling, and counseling can be a great option for these kids.

Sometimes the child desires to do counseling, but most often it is the parent who sees the issues and seeks guidance from a counselor. Either way, counseling for children at Laguna Christian Counseling can be effective in helping children overcome some of the obstacles in their lives. The Christian counselors in Laguna will spend time initially assessing the needs and presenting issues, and depending on the age of the child, set treatment goals with the child, and then work together on those goals.

Some of the most common issues in child counseling are experiences of trauma, anxiety, anger, misbehavior, school issues, family issues, and grief. Though it is said that children are resilient, sometimes they cannot walk through these issues on their own or even with the support of a loving family. A counselor will help them understand their feelings and thoughts in new ways, learn healthy coping skills and ways to communicate, talk through traumatic situations, and grieve well.

Common types of child therapy at Laguna Christian Counseling are different forms of Play Therapy, Art Therapy, Trauma-Focused CBT, other creative interventions, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, and others. The type of therapy used with a child will depend on several factors, the counselor, the counselor’s areas of training and experience, and your child’s presenting issues, situation, and personality.

A parent should seek counseling for his or her child when the child does not seem like himself, is acting out often, seems down, excessively irritable, or anxious, is struggling in relationships with others, or is having a difficult time walking through some life changes.