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Should Your Child See a Therapist?

As adults, it can be easy to forget how tough it was to grow up. Social and societal pressures, combined with developing brains, often lead to anxiety and emotional distress among kids and teens. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many of those challenges for today’s young people, due to the widespread upheaval, isolation and uncertainty it caused.

While emotional ups and downs are usually a normal part of development, there are circumstances where kids may need to see a professional, especially when traumatic experiences or preexisting mental disorders are thrown into the mix. Despite parents’ best attempts to help, some kids are too scared or embarrassed to confide in those closest to them. Sometimes outside guidance or just someone to listen can make a big difference and help parents determine what the next steps might be. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes mental disorders in children as anything that causes serious changes in the way they typically learn, behave, handle their emotions, and get through the day. Some of the most common disorders affect millions of children aged 3 to 17 per year:

  • ADHD — 9.8 percent (approximately 6 million) 
  • Anxiety — 9.4 percent (approximately 5.8 million)
  • Behavior problems — 8.9 percent (approximately 5.5 million)
  • Depression — 4.4 percent (approximately 2.7 million)

If your child seems to be dealing with one of these issues, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. Trained professionals, from therapists to teachers at school, can be crucial to helping your child overcome these struggles in a safe and productive way. Below are some of the key behavioral symptoms that can help you make the decision to seek outside help.


Signs that your child may benefit from therapy

Significant Changes in Mood

Extreme irritability, outrage or sadness can all be signs that a child needs professional help. Anxiety in young people often manifests itself as agitation, quick responses and mood swings. Prolonged sadness can be a sign of depression, especially if it prevents participation in the things your child normally loves to do. 

Problems With Sleep, Diet or Hygiene

Is your child sleeping way more or way less than usual? Eating excessively or not enough? Those could be important signs of a more serious problem, including anxiety, depression or the onset of a new eating disorder. A lapse in daily hygiene, such as showering and brushing teeth, can also signal an increase in depression or anxiety. 

Loss of Interest in Hobbies

If your kid suddenly loses interest in his or her favorite activity, it could mean that they’re feeling depressed. However, experts emphasize that it’s crucial to find out whether or not the loss of interest is tied to fatigue — maybe your child just doesn’t like art, music or soccer anymore. By digging a little deeper to assess the root causes of that behavior, parents can figure out if there are more significant underlying problems. 

Problems With School or Social Activities

Plenty of kids don’t like school, and they say it often. But if your kid is having intense outbursts, trouble focusing, frequent absences, lots of uncompleted work or is isolating themselves from their friends, it could point to something more worrisome going on. Since many mental and emotional disorders begin to manifest themselves in school-aged children, it’s critical to tune into these symptoms and take them seriously. The good news: Early detection and intervention strategies often help. The right approach from the right professional, whether a teacher, guidance counselor or therapist, could work wonders to get your child back on track. 

Disruptive or Defiant Behavior

Kids of all ages can have moments of troublesome behavior — even as adults, it happens. But if your child is exhibiting persistent, severely disruptive conduct that’s uncommon for his or her age, it could be a sign of a behavioral disorder. Oppositional defiant disorder can be diagnosed in children who are more angry, argumentative, spiteful, deliberately annoying or resentful than other kids their age. Signs of conduct disorder can include breaking serious rules, like running away or skipping school, as well as being aggressive, cruel to animals, lying, stealing and purposefully damaging property. Find out more from the CDC about key indicators associated with these conditions. 

Self-Harm or Suicidal Thoughts

If your child mentions self-harm or suicide, even at a very young age, it’s critical to take him or her seriously. Experts explain that kids who express these ideas often have a better understanding of death and dying than their peers and can more accurately wrap their minds around the ways to cause death. These kinds of thoughts can signify severe depression, so it’s important to reach out to a medical professional immediately. 

Therapy Options for Children and Families

So, you’ve determined that your child needs therapy. What now? It can be daunting to figure out the right course of action to take. The best first step could be a visit to your child’s pediatrician, as they are equipped to deal with your questions and can provide some helpful recommendations for starting out. It’s also a good idea to consult some of the other professionals in your child’s life, such as teachers, counselors and mentors, to get their advice. 


Here are a few additional options to think about:

Play Therapy

While it might sound fluffy, play therapy is a tremendously useful tool for licensed medical professionals to gain insights into a child’s problems, especially for those between the ages of 3 to 12 who might be too young to express themselves in words. Since play is how children explore and express themselves, play therapy can be a way to help them learn new coping mechanisms and redirect unwanted behaviors. With time, play therapy can help kids work through emotions, alleviate anxiety and deal with unresolved trauma. While it is not an all-encompassing treatment plan for kids with diagnosed mental or physical illnesses, it can always accompany other therapies. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Widely used for patients across the age spectrum, CBT is a form of psychological treatment that is effective for a range of problems, including anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, relationship issues and severe mental illness. When administered by a trained professional, CBT can help kids learn better ways of coping with unhelpful behaviors and can foster more confidence in themselves to deal with challenges in the future. 

Youth Counseling

Counselors who are trained specifically to work with kids and teens can often be tremendously helpful liaisons between children and their families. For kids who just need to talk to someone outside their immediate family, a youth counselor can be precisely the right kind of person. Finding the individual best suited to your child’s needs can make a huge difference, so it’s important to select carefully. 

Parent Behavior Therapy

The parent-child relationship is a two-way street, and there are a variety of skills that parents can learn to better support their kids. By training parents how to strengthen their child’s positive behaviors at home and eliminate unwanted conduct, the therapeutic process can be more holistic and ultimately more effective. 

Family Therapy

Similarly, family therapy seeks to improve family relationships by treating each member as part of an interconnected unit. In families where trauma or tension have affected the children, this kind of approach can be especially helpful, as parents learn how to reform their own behaviors as well.

Whatever your child’s needs may be, it’s important to remember that there are professionals around who you can turn to for help and advice. From teachers and coaches to counselors and psychologists, there are always people in your kid’s world who have their best interests at heart. These professionals can lend crucial expertise when you need it most. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child — so don’t hesitate to lean on yours.


Need a therapist? Find one on Zocdoc.

About The Paper Gown

The Paper Gown, a Zocdoc-powered blog, strives to tell stories that help patients feel informed, empowered and understood. Views and opinions expressed on The Paper Gown do not necessarily reflect those of Zocdoc, Inc.

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