Is kid therapy an actual thing? Why, yes it is!!!! With recent research indicating a large spike in mental health concerns for children, kid therapy is a way to help kids learn tools and skills for managing intense situations or emotions. Kid Therapy can also be a good idea to help children get back on track towards healthy development.
Children can be faced with many new mental health challenges with a “phone based childhood”, intense polarities in our society, and let’s face it, sometimes major life events happen at such a young age. Major events such as loss of a loved one, a divorce, or an unexpected change like a move can rock a child’s world and kid therapy may be something extremely helpful.
It is common for kid therapy to have play therapy modalities in sessions. Play therapy uses play as the way to help a child learn skills or discover underlying themes and roots of an issue. Play can show how someone may be feeling, is a great strategy for learning, and it is the primary way that children communicate in kid therapy.
Child specialists or therapists in kid therapy are usually Registered Play TherapistsTM (RPTsTM) or are on their way to becoming an RPTTM through an intense process of training in theory, skills and techniques under the supervision of a RPT-STM (Registered Play Therapist- SupervisorTM). You can look up RPTsTM in the APT’s Utah directory. It is important to find a therapist that best fits your child’s needs as the relationship has been documented as the most important aspect of creating the best chance of desired change.
Typically, kid therapy involves a therapist using play therapy modalities grounded in a play therapy specific theoretical orientation. Kid Therapy can have expressive elements through dance, movement, games, art, sand tray play, doll houses, play kitchens, etc.
The first step in kid therapy usually is parents meeting with the therapist to ensure it is a good fit. During that meeting, the therapist collects child development information and works together with parents to create goals for the child. The second step is the therapist meeting with the child to ensure that the child forms a therapeutic alliance with the therapist and the child also believes that the therapist is a good fit. The third step is working in the play therapy sessions using the treatment plan as a guide towards helping the child reach their goals. Examples of some goals can include the following: learn/practice healthy ways of expressing feelings, learn skills to cope with intense feelings, improve relationships with family members, and learn to view their self positively.
Kid Therapy can be helpful for children who are struggling with managing emotions or big worries. Kid Therapy is usually recommended when children have difficulty staying on task, listening to adults, showing rigid thinking patterns, and poor frustration tolerance.
Kid therapy is not for every child. Sometimes, life can be hard and children can adjust to major life events in healthy ways without therapeutic assistance. It is important to observe the intensity of their behaviors or symptoms to determine if those symptoms are impacting their life or the lives of others at home or school. It may be helpful to consider providing therapeutic treatment for your child if your child’s symptoms or situations are impacting their daily functioning of life.
Kid therapy does not just involve the child! Oftentimes, the child therapist meets with the caregivers to provide them with tools and strategies to help guide their child toward success in their goals. Other times, therapists provide insight on the child’s private logic or themes in the playroom that may be helpful for the caregiver to know so that they can provide their best guidance to their children.
Kid therapy may be helpful for any child that needs assistance with big feelings or big changes. Sometimes, life can be tough for our littles and kid therapy is a way to learn tools to manage stress, intense emotions, learn healthy ways to express themselves and to create a healthy perspective of the world.
You can find out more about child therapy here and how it can be helpful to children and families. If you or someone you know is looking for therapy for children to process loss, cope with big feelings, learn frustration tolerance, or improve their self esteem, please schedule a free consultation today! We provide therapy in Provo, Tooele, and across Utah.
