Psychotherapy for children and adolescents
Children and adolescents, during their development and growth can face difficulties in development, behavioural and emotional issues and stressful life events in which they need psychotherapy support. Psychotherapy for children usually also includes work with parents.
With the child, the psychotherapist develops a relationship of trust and security using different creative techniques adjusted to the particular age (games, drawing and painting, acting, fantasies) through which the child/adolescent finds a way to understand and adequately cope with the difficulties.
The most common issues because of which parents choose to include children in therapy and where it is really effective are:
- Fears and traumatic experiences;
- Problems at school;
- Difficulties with peers and their environment;
- Divorce of parents;
- Bereavement of close persons;
- Dealing with difficult and chronic diseases;
- Problems in expressing emotions;
- Introversion;
- Aggression, violence and anger management;
- Bedwetting;
- Identity issues;
- Depression; and
- Repetitive behaviours, involuntary thoughts, tics.
Depending on the child’s age, one or two sessions per week are the norm (for younger children). The length of therapy depends on the severity and complexity of the problem.
Psychotherapy for children and adolescents is also based on confidentiality which means that the psychotherapist can only share with parents the session content related to the child’s progress and key changes.
