How to know if your child needs therapy

If you’ve ever googled, “how to know if your child needs therapy,” this video is what you’re looking for. Understanding what signs and symptoms that are normal and what are worrisome is a tricky field to navigate.

The two best ways to know if your child needs therapy is 1. They’ve expressed that something doesn’t feel right and they need help. 2. If you’ve noticed a consistent change in behavior over a period of time and in various situations.

If your child has come to you and expressed that they need help, do not take that lightly. Often by the time they express this sentiment they no longer feel like they can handle whatever it is on their own and encourage you to seek out mental health help. If you’re stuck on how to go about that, we recommend watching the other vlogs on our channel that answer common questions parents have about getting help for children’s mental health. Vlogs include: “How to get mental health help,” “What is therapy?”, “Finding the right therapist,” and “What to expect during a therapy appointment.”

When having difficult conversations we recommend using the skill of Effective Communication that is found on the Smarter Parenting website. smarterparenting.com/lesson/view/effective-comm…

Changes in behavior can include changes in sleeping or eating habits. Loss of interest in things or people they used to find enjoyable. Poor school performance. Sneaky behavior. Self-harm behavior including taking unnecessary risks, drug or alcohol abuse. All these can be signs of mental illness in children.

While there can be a number of reasons why a child’s behavior has changed over time, talking to a licensed mental health counselor is the best way to figure out the root of the problem and what course of action is needed to best help your child.

Knowing if your child needs therapy is tricky, but if you suspect that something is not right do not wait to get mental health advice.

If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to send an email to [email protected]