Participation in counseling can empower kids, helping them understand their thoughts, feelings, and behavioral patterns. This process strengthens their sense of self, increases confidence, and equips them with strategies to manage everyday challenges.

Therapy for ages 3-5 involves evidence-based family work focusing on the parent-child relationship. As children age, individual counseling can be a powerful tool for equipping them to become “big kids.”

The transition into middle and high school often increases academic and social pressures. Counseling can be a powerful tool for gaining insight and developing or recovering self-esteem.

For those who may be struggling with extra hurdles, such as grief, trauma, family conflict, anxiety, depression, or learning challenges, counseling provides a safe space to work through these challenges.

Common reasons parents seek counseling support for their children:

  • Concerns with parent-child or family relationships
  • Impulsive or disruptive behaviors

  • Talking with kids about tricky subjects in an age-appropriate way

  • Positive and effective approaches toward discipline/behavior management
  • Coping with an illness
  • Adjustment to life changes or stressors

  • Anger

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Flexible thinking/cognitive flexibility
  • Impulsivity
  • Trauma
  • Emotional dysregulation
  • Difficulty with peer relationships

Interventions offered for age 3-5:

Child-Parent Counseling

Parent-Child Interaction

Preschool PTSD Treatment

Nondirective play

Interventions offered for age 6-18:

CBT

DBT for adolescents

Therapeutic Play Techniques

Supportive counseling

Solution-focused counseling

Problem-solving techniques

Group therapy

Talking With Your Child About Suicide

Talking to your child about suicide can be a nerve-wracking conversation. You don’t want to put them on the spot, but you want to protect your child from all forms of self-harm. What are the things that led you to decide to have this discussion? What signs are you noticing? Is this coming from something specific, or are you just curious?

Write out a list of the concerns you may be observing and where they may be stemming from. For example, your child has moved to a new school and has been experiencing bullying. They come home and say, “Just kill me!” They have been acting reclusive, their grades are slipping, they are not eating as much and complaining that they can’t sleep. This most likely started with the move, losing former school friends, and feeling uncomfortable at the new school. Having a perspective as to why your child may be acting differently can help you gain insight. Coming into the discussion about suicide with empathy and some level of understanding will positively affect the conversation.

Is your child is acting differently?

  • Sad
  • Reclusive, Disengaged
  • Defiant

Have you noticed a change in:

  • Sleep patterns and/or eating habits
  • Previously enjoyed activities
  • Relationships with family and friends

Have you noticed unusual behaviors?

  • Substance use/abuse
  • Risk-taking behaviors
  • Making poor choices

Is your child making threats?

  • I wish I were dead.”
  • “Just kill me.”
  • “It’s not worth living.”

Has there been a major life event?

  • A family move, separation, or divorce
  • Loss of a loved one or friend, a break-up
  • Bullying at school

Feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable is normal, and experienced by most parents being faced with the idea of having a difficult conversation about suicide. However, it is paramount to remind yourself that you are just concerned and want to help your child. Think about what you want to say and how to say it. Role play or rehearse the conversation beforehand. Knowing what to say will help keep you on track and lessen the stress. Choose a good time to talk. Make sure there are no distractions. During a drive home, or after dinner would be a good time with few distractions.

Don’t be afraid to “schedule” a time to have a discussion. “I want to talk to you after dinner about something important.” When it’s time to talk, normalize their experience and allow the conversation walls to come down. “I know it’s been hard for you moving to a new school and dealing with that bully. You’ve been acting differently, and I’m worried about you.” Speak directly but in a non-threatening tone. Ask simply, “do you think about suicide?” If they respond “yes,” don’t overreact. Educate them that they are not alone in those thoughts.

Let them know that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in children and young adults. The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide reports that 17% of high school students admit to thinking about suicide, and 8% have attempted suicide. Make them feel comfortable talking to you about this by staying calm, expressing empathy and showing support.

About 1 in 4 kids experience anxiety, making it the most common childhood mental health challenge.

Here are 8 tips to help with managing anxiety cycles.

Preteen boy struggling with anxiety.

When it comes to childhood anxiety cycles, it’s fair to say that we hate to see our kids unhappy. But we may be making their anxiety worse by helping them avoid discomfort. The best way to help overcome anxiety isn’t to remove the stressors that trigger it. The goal is to respect your child’s feelings without empowering their fears – help them learn how to tolerate their anxiety so they can function better, even when they are anxious. As they learn to manage their anxiety, over time, it will decrease or even go away.

Please note that these tips are provided as tools to help alleviate the stress that can accompany an anxious child. If you are concerned about their anxiety, we recommend starting with the free Heads Up Checkup Mental Wellness Survey. The immediate results provided will give you insight into whether you should seek help.

1. Help your child learn to manage their anxiety cycles.

Help them learn to tolerate their anxiety so they can function better, even when they are feeling anxious. Anxiety is natural, but we don’t want it to control our kids. The more they learn to manage it, the less they should experience it.

3. Express positive, realistic expectations.

We can’t promise our kids that their fears are unrealistic. We CAN express confidence that they will be able to manage it and be okay. This helps your child see that your expectations are realistic and you’re not asking them to do the unmanageable. The more your child faces their fears, the more likely anxiety cycles will become less frequent.

5. Ask open-ended questions.

Encourage your child to talk about their feelings, but be mindful not to ask leading questions such as: “Are you scared about …?” “Are you worried about …?” Open-ended questions like “How do you feel about …?” or “What are you looking forward to tomorrow?” are best and won’t feed the anxiety cycle.

7. Keep the anticipatory period short.

The anticipatory period to a stressful event or thing is truly the most challenging.  The goal is to eliminate or reduce it. For instance, if your child is nervous about an upcoming event, try not to discuss it too far in advance, as this will only increase their anxiety.

2. Don’t avoid the anxiety-provoking situations or things.

We often fall into the habit of shielding our kids from things or situations that may scare them. Yes, this makes them feel better in the moment; however, it may ultimately drive them to develop unhealthy avoidant coping mechanisms.

4. Respect your child’s feelings.

Whenever your child expresses fears, listen attentively and show empathy. Help them understand what they are anxious about and encourage them to face the fearful situation or thing. Convey that 1) you know they are scared; 2) it is okay; 3) you are there for them; and 4) that you will help them get through it.

6. Be mindful of your body language and tone of voice.

Kids are like sponges, soaking up everything they see and hear, not just what we say, but how we say it. When we don’t want them to see we’re worried about their well-being, it’s still difficult for them to not sense it in our voice and body language. We must be careful to keep our verbal and nonverbal cues in harmony.

8. Think it out.

The “what if” questions that children often ask about their anxiety highlight the importance of uncertainty in their anxiety. Talking to them about what might happen if their fears came true, and how to handle them, helps them feel more in control of the situation.

If you’d like to learn more about our coaching services for children with learning challenges, such as ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia, please visit our Academic Support page.

Call us.

In the meantime, complete this complimentary mental wellness and learning challenges screening. You will receive your results immediately. You can stop worrying and instead start moving toward your goal of a happy child, reduced stress, and the ability to support your child through general academic and life challenges. The screening is available Monday through Friday, 8 am to 7 pm.

To access the free screening on your smartphone, text SCREEN to 888-502-0144

How To Get Started:

Contact us!

714.730.WELL (9355)
info@wellfamilypsychology.com

Our Intake Coordinators will match you with the best provider.

Complete intake.

Schedule your intake and complete paperwork through our client portal.

Attend your session.

Attend your first session to establish goals and a plan.