Counseling for children is one of the most important therapies we offer at Anchor Counseling Center – and it is one of the most complicated. Because children can be much less able than adults to clearly know and explain the things that might be bothering them, our therapists must use a variety of treatment approaches to analyze and uncover the issues at hand. As they do, they are careful to be sensitive to the child’s age, personality, and ability or inability to express thoughts, feelings, emotions, fears, and perceptions.
In their work with children, our therapists recognize the importance of creating a strong bond with a child patient that, in turn, can translate into a valuable therapeutic relationship. To establish this bond, our therapists perform a close analysis of a child’s behavior and then mold treatment to whatever level the child is presenting at the time. As they do so, the therapists have at their disposal a variety of evidence-based psychotherapy techniques, backed by extensive research in child psychology and behavior.
It also is important to point out what should be obvious in most cases: that a child’s problems also can involve the child’s family – which is why Child Counseling at Anchor Counseling Center typically sees our therapists working with children and their families concurrently. In addition to helping the therapists to discover the causes of the child’s issues, this approach allows the family to learn about the psychology that might be at the root of those issues, and to understand the evidence-based treatments that the therapist is applying.
In performing Child Counseling at Anchor Counseling Center, there is one thing we know above all: a child with problems does not get better alone. That’s why we try to emphasize to the child’s family and primary caregivers the importance of ensuring that all of the adults in the child’s life work together to ensure the well-being of that child. For us, that means encouraging and facilitating better working relationships at home between the child and the family.