How Counseling for Children Can Help Your Child and You

Counseling is good for everyone. There is not a stage in our lives when it is not helpful, if not wise, to have someone with whom to talk. We often think that counseling is something that only comes into play for adults, or after a form of trauma. But the truth is, it’s never too early for someone to learn how to express themselves, process their lives, and establish boundaries. Counseling for children can be helpful.

Counseling is a safe place to deal with what is going on. A counselor is a neutral person who has no connection to the rest of our lives. It can be easier to get into what weighs on us, the conflicts we don’t know how to address, and our hurts.

Benefits of counseling for children

Children are experiencing more and more these days. Social media, active shooter drills, busier parents, and increased division. In a post-COVID-19 world, everything has shifted and it is never too early to give your child a safe place in which to process.

Even parents with good relationships with their kids, who cultivate an environment where children are free to ask questions and speak up, can still be beneficial for a child to have a neutral place to talk.

Counseling can help a child process his or her world. Your child can bring up things and ask if it’s normal. He or she can talk about family dynamics with someone outside the situation. Your child can freely relay his or her fears to someone whose first inclination is not to defend or fix. These are not bad reactions, but a counselor is a neutral voice in your child’s life.

Counselors are free from the emotions and contexts children don’t often see. A counselor does not have your emotions and history with the situation. They can often ask your child things and get a less defensive response. Sometimes suggestions hold more weight if it’s not mom or dad giving them.

Counseling benefits parents, too

Let’s be honest, it is hard being a parent these days. You are often trying to navigate the same unknowns as your child. How do you talk to your child about school shootings or online bullying when you’re wrestling with the best way to handle those things yourself? A counselor can help you and your child with these very real and difficult realities.

Parents are busy. We are distracted by social media. Our children have a dozen things going on outside of school. We are doing the best we can. There are 100 pressures just making sure a child is fed, clothed, and able to get out of the door every day. It does take a village to raise a child. A counselor is another member of that village.

The simple reality is this: children don’t tell their parents everything. Depending on the home environment, you might not know how to relate to your child (and that’s okay), or you might not have time to sit with him or her and get your child to debrief his or her day with you (and that’s okay too!). A counselor can be a bridge and a place your child can freely talk.

A counselor can be another positive voice in your child’s life. The counselor can also help you know what to say and give you the next steps if needed. He or she can help your child feel safe and encourage your child to open up to you. A good counselor can help you relate to your child better.

Counseling benefits children beyond today

Counseling helps a child learn how to speak up for himself or herself. It can help with his or her confidence. It teaches the child to express emotions in healthy ways. Counseling can you’re your child coping skills for anxiety and stress. It also helps your child see that asking for help is not a bad thing. Imagine if a generation of children grew up knowing it was okay to not be okay and to ask for what they needed.

There are a variety of ways to get counseling for your child now – virtual, in-person, texting, and messaging apps. It can take time to find someone to whom you and your child respond well. Make sure to ask your child if he or she has any preferences.

Orange County Christian Counseling is a safe place for your child to talk. We would love to show your child that how to maneuver this ever-changing world in the healthiest way possible. Please call our offices to set up an appointment.