It’s the goal of every loving Parent to raise healthy children, and that goes beyond their physical health. We also want our children to be happy and well-adjusted, and just like adults, our kids might need some help in order to achieve that. It’s important to accept that having emotional difficulties and struggles isn’t uncommon – sometimes, life throws things at our children that are hard to process. According to the Mental Health Foundation, 10% of children and young people aged five to 16 are affected by mental health problems. If your child falls in this bracket, you may be wondering if your child needs therapy.

Thankfully. we’re very fortunate to live in an era where Therapy and counseling services are more readily available than ever before. It has also become widely accepted that our kids shouldn’t have to suppress their emotions if they are having a hard time with something. In fact, not dealing with their emotional struggles will have a much worse effect on your child than addressing them. If your child is having a hard time emotionally, then asking yourself whether your child needs therapy is the right thing to do as their custodian.

If you suspect that your child needs therapy, how do you go about getting those resources for them. We explain more in this article.

Signs that your child needs therapy

They have just gone through a stressful life event

A good rule of thumb is to reach out to a Therapist when a major life event takes place because that tends to impact children significantly. For example, if you and your family move to a new city, your child has to deal with leaving their friend group and being in a new school. If there’s been a loss in the family, like a grandparent, that can also affect your child. If you and your spouse are getting a divorce, your child definitely needs therapy to process the split. According to Laura Gillis, a divorce lawyer in Phoenix, “a split isn’t just the break-up of two people. It’s a significant change to the family unit as the child knows it. From guilt to fear and uncertainty, divorce brings up a lot of difficult emotions, and young people need to have the support of counseling to deal with it.” 

Changes in behaviour

Another way to tell if your child needs a therapist is their behaviour. There are many ways in which a child can start acting differently. They can start acting out – throwing tantrums, being uncharacteristically rude, and breaking the rules. Of course, if you’re dealing with a teenager, angst comes with the territory, but sometimes angst could be an indicator of something deeper. Your child could be struggling with fitting in at school. They could be depressed or dealing with the aftereffects of a traumatic experience you’re not aware of. 

You don’t have to wait for tremendous change in behaviour to get therapy for your child – there’s also nothing wrong with just getting them to talk to someone just to foster an environment where they can be open about their emotions. A lot of children keep things in because they are afraid of disappointing their parents or causing drama. It’s very important to teach them that expressing the full spectrum of their emotions is the healthy thing to do. 

The importance of parental mindset

As a parent, how you deal with your child needing therapy is very important. It’s critical that you navigate this with kindness, understanding, and empathy. Some parents worry about how the need for therapy makes them look, and that will govern how their child feels about it. Depending on the challenge you’re facing, you might end up needing family therapy for the whole unit or even therapy for you as the parent. These things don’t make you a terrible parent – in fact, you deciding to get support for your child means you’re a loving parent who wants what’s best for them.  

How to find a therapist

Now that you’ve identified that you need a therapist for your child, how do you go about finding the right one? 

1. Get in touch with their guidance counselor at school and find out the resources they might have through that 
2. Check with your family doctor; they might be able to refer you to a child therapist
3. Use a site like Psychology Today, they have a listing of therapists in your local area, and you can check what each listed therapist specializes in 
4. Other professionals might be able to point you to a good therapist, so, for example, if you’re going through a divorce, a family lawyer would know of people who can help your children. 

In conclusion, therapy is a valuable resource that makes navigating the challenges of life so much easier. For young people, it’s even more important because there are so many parts of life that are hard for them to process and understand. Even if you’re the most loving, supportive, and emotionally present parent, there’s a level of expertise that a therapist provides that you won’t be able to, even though you have the best intentions. Think of therapy as an additional layer of support and an act of love that will make your child happier and healthier. 

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