Children's Counselling: Supporting Your Child's Mental Health

As a parent or caregiver, deciding when to seek help for your child can be challenging. When concerns arise about their mental and emotional wellbeing, or their learning and behaviour, well-meaning family members or friends may try to reassure you by saying things like, 'it’s just a ‘phase, they’ll grow out of it,' or 'don’t worry, they’ll be fine - children are resilient.' However, the reality is that many individuals, including children, may benefit from talking to someone about their feelings and experiences. You, as a parent, know your child better than anyone and serve as their strongest advocate. Whether your child’s challenges seem like minor issues or have persisted for a while, engaging in child psychology services, including counselling and psychotherapy with an experienced psychologist, can significantly ease this difficult time. These professionals can also provide psychological assessments to better understand your child’s needs, making the journey toward improved children's mental health more manageable for both them and their parents.

We are eager to offer you support no matter your concern regarding your child's mental health. Some general red flags suggesting that your child may benefit from seeing a psychologist, particularly in the realm of child psychology, can include: 

Showing significant mood or behavioral changes. For example, if your child has dropped out of extracurricular activities and is spending a lot of their free time alone in their room.

Struggling with a stressful situation in their life, such as a health concern, moving to a new city or school, bullying, divorce, or having a prolonged adjustment period to a new sibling.

Having trouble staying on-task in class or struggling to ‘keep up’ academically.

Experiencing issues that are growing more significant as they age, rather than getting better.

Displaying long periods of tantrums or becoming destructive or hitting others when angry.

Exhibiting changes after a trauma such as a death, accident, natural disaster, or abuse.

Struggling with more anxiety or fearfulness than other children their age, which begins to interfere with aspects like school, friendships, meals, and bedtime.

Displaying a lot of ‘clingy’ behavior or separation anxiety.

Having difficulty making and maintaining friendships.

Showing regression behaviors, such as wetting the bed even though they are night trained.

Demonstrating signs that they may have or have already been diagnosed with a mental health condition such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, or autism, or a learning disability like dyslexia or dysgraphia, or if they are neurodiverse or have slower learning processes. Psychological assessments can be helpful in determining the best course of action.

Psychologists specializing in child psychology can provide your child with emotional support, a listening ear, and guidance to manage their ‘big feelings’. They assist children in learning coping skills to tackle various challenges, address behavioral concerns, and enhance family communication and relationships. This is achieved through a personalized treatment plan tailored to your child, incorporating a wide range of therapies. Our psychologists are particularly skilled in utilizing targeted Play Therapy and Attachment Based Family Therapy to connect with children at their level, fostering improved family dynamics and overall emotional wellbeing.

We also offer comprehensive psychological assessments to help diagnose mental health issues and learning concerns such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and learning disabilities. These assessments evaluate intelligence and identify strengths, allowing us to create a personalized treatment plan that paves the way for your child’s success at school. We provide recommendations for teachers and practical classroom tools to support their development at home, in friendships, and beyond.

Our commitment is to establish a strong foundation for your child's mental health, supporting them through their teen years and into adulthood. To schedule an appointment with one of our qualified psychologists today, contact us here.