Is your child having trouble getting along with other kids? Are they so nervous that they don’t want to go to school? Or maybe they just aren’t listening and talking back to their parent or caregiver. How do you know when to get counseling for your child? Here are some warning signs that indicate the need for more professional intervention.

1. Your happy child is now down and loses interest in their normal activities. When you notice your child changing his/her everyday habits like eating, sleeping, personal interests, and the change lasts for more than 2 weeks, it may be time to explore what is going on/or with your child.

2. Excessive worry, fearfulness, or sadness. Anxiety is no fun for anyone and can be especially difficult for kids who don’t have coping skills for dealing with it. Counseling can teach kids these coping skills and find ways that fit for each individual child to not be as scared in the world. 

3. Defiance and/or temper tantrums. Any time you feel your child is overly defiant or having temper tantrums that are not age appropriate, it is time for professional intervention. The therapist can teach your child anger management skills, as well as teach the parents some new techniques to keep this behavior from happening in the future. 

4. Experienced a trauma. Any time your child experiences a trauma is a good time to get therapy. This can be anything from a car accident, a pet dying, divorce, or anything the child seems overly upset by. 

5. Regression in things like bed wetting, language (baby talk), separation anxiety. If your child is regressing, there is a reason. The therapist can help you figure out what the reason is so that things can be done to help the child cope and get back on track developmentally.

6. Social Isolation. If your child is not leaving the house, not playing with friends, keeping to themselves to an extreme, it is time to get some help.

7. Any talk of self-harm, or cutting/hurting themselves on purpose. It can be really scary when your child starts cutting or saying they want to hurt themselves. Usually, this happens when a child can’t express how they are feeling and are looking for an escape from these bad feelings. A therapist can work with your child to help them express these feelings in a safe and productive way, so they don’t have to escape from them. 

You know your child better than anyone and if you are worried about anything, it is better to be proactive and get a professional opinion. Whatever the situation, we can help. We have therapists who have been specially trained in play therapy and have had amazing results with kids of all ages and a wide variety of issues. We initially meet with the parent and the child together and then decide if the best intervention is individual time with the child or if family therapy would produce the desired results. With after school, evening and even weekend appointments available, it is easy to fit therapy into a busy schedule.