Our goal is to help you and your child understand and regulate emotion, reduce stress, and build confidence, so that everyone in the family can feel better and be more fulfilled
Childhood sets the stage for adolescence and adulthood. It is a time for exploring, playing and learning. Some key areas of childhood development are; physical, intellectual, emotional and social. An imbalance in any of the main childhood characteristics would influence the overall development of the child. Like adults, children may go through turbulent times. But given that the child’s brain is not fully formed during this period of childhood, they are not able to control their impulses and emotions like adults. Consequently, when a child encounters adverse childhood experiences like trauma, abuse, death of a pet or loved one, extreme stress, social isolation, parental conflict, bullying, etc., it traumatizes the developing brain and may hinder the child’s development, both emotional, and psychologically. These are times when children need an adult for support.
Seek Child Therapy if Suddenly Child/Teen is:
- Acting out of character
- Suddenly more defiant
- Attention seeking
- Anger
- Anxiety, worry, or shyness,
- Sleep issues
- Eating disorders
- Aggression
- Difficulty concentrating
- Social isolation or withdrawal
- Academic issues or problems at school
- Risks taking behaviors
- Bullying others or being bullied
- Cutting/self harm
- Suicidal thoughts
- Developmental issues
- Sadness
- School avoidance
- Low self esteem
- Frequent bouts of crying
- Easily irritable
- Parents going through separation/divorce
When kids struggle, we know this can be challenging for parents, as they want to see their kids happy and thriving. But truth is, sometimes the parent may not know what to do, or may be going through some other life issues themselves. Like separation, divorce, workplace stress, death in the family, financial issues, sickness, caring for elderly, etc, and may not be aware of what the child may be going through. And sometimes, the parents may be aware, but at a loss for what to do to help their child. This could be a very frustrating feeling for parents. It is at times like these that a child therapist may be helpful in utilizing critical intervention strategies to help children and families navigate such turbulent periods, so that the child’s development is not hampered, and to ensure that the child develops into a healthy adult.
Teen/Adolescent Therapy
What happens when almost suddenly, the once very agreeable, easy going, chatty, loving child becomes moody, unruly, defiant, and answers in mono syllables. Sounds like most parents’ nightmare. Sometime parents may even struggle with understanding their adolescent or the stages of development and may interpret healthy development process as an attack or symptom of a problem. A key element in healthy family functioning is consistency in the parents/child interaction. Sometimes an imbalance with this dynamic may occur and family therapy may be recommended
Skills your Child/Adolescents may develop in therapy
- Understanding what emotions are
- Learn emotional awareness and what our emotions may be telling them
- Learn to label emotion and where they are felt in the body and why
- Learn how to manage stressful situations
- Developing problem solving skills
- Coping with exam and school anxieties
- Learn to mange difficult emotions such as anger, worry, anxiety, pain, sadness, etc
- Improve social skills
- Enhance self-esteem and self confidence
- Enhance communication skills
- Learning to verbalize their emotions rather than acting out
- What to do when they or others are facing bulling
Skills you may develop as a parent
- Decipher whether your teen is depressed or simply transitioning through the adolescence stage
- Learning to stop the blame game
- Supportive techniques to help your kids manage their emotions in a healthy way
- Implementing positive discipline strategies
- Learning to keep your emotions under control in difficult situations
- Maintain control in conflict situation with your child
- Managing child challenging behaviors
- Learning how to co-parent
Why Should a Family Seek Child Therapy?
Parents sometimes struggle with parenting and when they are unable to understand the child behaviour, they may be tempted to think that they are bad parents or think their child is “acting out” They forget that Just like adults, children need support too for day-to-day stressors and struggles. Truth is, most children struggle with verbalizing how they feel, so, they “act out”. It is important at this point for parents not to see it as acting out, but a cry for help.
At Chapters our child and adolescent therapists recognize that parents are essential primary attachment figures in a child’s life, hence we work collaboratively with the parent in helping to navigate those trying periods in the family life transitions, as parents learn their child’s inner experiences and learn ways to meet their child’s needs in healthy and supportive ways.
Our goal at CCS is to work with children and youth to develop the necessary skills needed so they don’t stay in therapy forever. Sometimes all that is needed is a few targeted sessions. Our services are covered by most insurance plans. We offer in person and online sessions during office hours, evenings and weekends to accommodate work and school.
3950 14th Avenue, Unit 205, Markham. ON. L3R 0A9.
420 George Street, Suite 212, Peterborough. ON. K9H 3R5