Child and Adolescent Therapy
Children can face a range of difficult problems in their lives that might include sadness, anxiety, academic stress and family conflicts. They need to learn how to understand, control and share their emotions appropriately. They also may struggle to control their behavior and meet the expectations of their parents and teachers. A child psychologist can help children work through these issues and make better choices in their lives. A therapist can be a trusted mentor who helps children grow, mature and overcome obstacles.
Many Americans feel their lives have improved through psychotherapy. In a recent Consumer Reports study, nine out of ten people surveyed said that they had benefited from psychotherapy. Another study indicated that fifty percent of people who had undergone psychotherapy said they saw improvements after eight sessions. After six months, the number jumped to seventy-five percent. Similar results have been recorded for child psychotherapy; however, sometimes parents have a harder time measuring progress.
At The Pratt Center, we work with the family to develop clear, explicit goals for psychotherapy. You, your child and your mental health provider will revisit your original goals periodically and assess your child's progress. One simple way to monitor progress is to ask these questions:
- Is your child functioning better at school?
- Is he or she feeling less anxious, depressed, stressed, etc.?
- Is the length of time between symptoms becoming longer?
It may be necessary to alter goals as you learn more about how quickly your child works in psychotherapy. Some problems will be relatively easy to solve; others will be more difficult. Ending psychotherapy should be a joint decision. Ideally, you, your child and the psychotherapist would be pleased with the progress your child has made and decide that additional psychotherapy is no longer necessary.
Open communication between a client and psychotherapist is the best way to enhance the effectiveness of psychotherapy. At the same time, the child or adolescent needs to know that their privacy is respected. The therapist will provide parents with all of the information that they need to help their child while also working hard to safeguard the trust that the child has placed in them. Effective psychotherapy takes effort, commitment and trust. Some children and adolescents avoid psychotherapy because they are afraid to discuss experiences or behaviors that may cause them emotional pain. Although this may be difficult, it is the beginning of truly understanding oneself and making the changes that bring about a greater sense of happiness.
For more information about psychotherapy, please contact us by phone at 650-949-2997 or e-mail us at info@prattcenter.com.