Helping Young People Become Happy, Healthy Grown Ups
At Stokes Counseling, our skilled team of therapists are available to help patients of all ages, including children, to feel better and live more joyful lives. It can be difficult to navigate all of the challenges life throws at us in a given day as adults. Young people are working through many of these tough issues too, but they don’t always have the words to tell us they need therapy or the experience to know how to handle complex situations on their own. If your child is struggling with their academic work, showing behavioral concerns, having difficulty developing friendships, or you notice any other concerns, you may want to consider scheduling a session to discuss therapy for children in Naugatuck, CT with the trusted Stokes Counseling team. You can learn more on this page, and we look forward to hearing from you when you’re ready to get started.
Why Should I Consider Therapy for My Child?
As a parent, you want what’s best for your child, and you do everything in your power to keep them safe, happy, and healthy – so, why would they need to visit a therapist? It can be hard to remember what it’s like to be child, but while life is stressful or difficult for adults to navigate, we have years of experience and understanding to apply in a given situation, making it easier to manage. Many kids have the same struggles with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship building, and other “life stuff” that adults are dealing with, but their framework for understanding and working through these situations are not well developed. Therapy may be a good option to help them understand the complex issues they’re dealing with and develop greater understanding and resilience.
What Happens During Therapy Sessions for Children?
Just like therapy session with our adult clients, we approach every session with children from a flexible therapeutic perspective. We want to be ready to respond to a child’s most obvious needs during each visit. However, we also work with our young clients to establish a framework that will help them understand why they’re in our office and how we can help.
That may look like spending time at each session drawing with your child, playing a game, reading a story together, or otherwise engaging in communication that is accessible and valuable to them, depending on their age and specific situation. From the outside, this can look like we’re just having fun together, but children are much more likely to engage with us in meaningful ways when they can relate to our interactions. It would seem strange for an adult to come into a therapy session and be asked to draw a picture, but a child may find it jarring to be instructed to sit and talk quietly with an adult who they don’t know. Instead, we want them to feel comfortable and confident expressing themselves in ways that seem natural for their age group, and while it may seem like we’re “just” playing a game or telling a story, trust us. There is method behind our play time.
How do I Get Started?
To get started, simply give the Stokes Counseling Services team a call or complete our request form. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have and schedule a first session for you in our Naugatuck clinic. We are also proud to offer telehealth counseling services online, if you would prefer to conduct your sessions virtually.