How Do I Know If My Kid Needs a Psychologist?
Children and Youth seeing a psychologist isn’t like an adult seeing a psychologist. There certainly aren’t any couches- unless they are for jumping on! Child and Youth psychological services involve arts, crafts, games, and activities. Most of the time a psychologist like me works with children and youth to:
Teach Skills about emotions, thoughts, and behaviour.
Change their perception of themselves and their situation to be more positive and accurate
Address their concerns with practical solutions
Offer a safe, non-judgemental person and space
You should consider taking your child to a psychologist if your child is:
In Distress
If your child is often crying, or has very strong emotional reactions that are out of proportion with the situation. Mental health issues often look different in children than they do in adults. Strong emotional reactions over little things, or argumentativeness can often be signs of concern.
Struggling with life
If your child is having difficulty doing the regular, everyday things that children are expected to do like:
Difficulty with grades, following school rules, or just going to school
Relationship challenges with friends, peers, siblings, or parents
Strong emotional reactions- normally anger, anxiety, or sadness
Spending hours and hours playing videogames, and frequently quitting the game in a rage
Have thoughts or emotions that stop them (or you) from doing things
Do you avoid going certain places with your children? Are there things that you think would be good for them to do that they just won’t do? Are there activities they used to enjoy that they just don’t seem to get pleasure from anymore?
Abnormal for Their Age
Often parents don’t notice that their first child is doing things that are abnormal for their age until they have a second child, and are able to see both children behave very differently at similar ages.
Taking Risks or Doing Unsafe Things
If your child is being bullied, or being the bully, getting in fights, not following your rules, engaging in self-harm, or having thoughts of suicide, then seeking professional help immediately is strongly recommended.
Need a Nudge Back Onto The Right Path
Sometimes kids need to hear things from people that aren’t their parents. Especially if it relates to their self-concept or self-esteem.
Need to know more about themselves- Or You need to know more
Parents are experts on their own children but even experts need advice sometimes. Psychological assessment can help children, parents, and teachers better understand your child’s academic, emotional, and cognitive strengths and weaknesses. As well as determine if they meet the criteria for various mental health concerns. Sometimes, even understanding a child’s conflict style in different situation can go a long way to ensuring their enhanced success.
Need Someone To Talk To
Sometimes kids just won’t talk to their parents. Often this is because kids try to avoid conflict with people they love: their parents. Telling a neutral, non-judgmental third party is often a good step towards telling their parents themselves, or agreeing that the psychologist should tell their parents.
What Happens?
Psychologists offer confidential and compassionate psychological services for you and your child. If you think your child might benefit from a psychologist like me, the first step is to contact me with a very brief description about what’s going on for you and your child. The first session is usually an intake appointment with parents. You can come and see me, or meet virtually and have a frank and open conversation without your child overhearing. Once we both agree that I can be helpful to you and what our plan is moving forward, we set up another appointment for your child to meet me. You can be there, or you can give your child some space to work with me independently. I spend some time connecting with your child, and figuring out what we can work on together that fits with your goals, and then we get down to work!