Growing up is hard work. We help children and teens who:
- Feel anxious or worried all the time
- Feel depressed, lonely, or isolated
- Have a tough time managing their emotions and behaviors such as emotional outbursts, anger, aggression
- Struggle socially, or tend to end up in friendships where they are being taken advantage of
- Struggle academically and feel overwhelmed and stuck in knowing how to get back on track
- Feel overwhelmed with life changes or transitions (divorce, blended family dynamics, a move, or loss of a family member or close friend)
We also offer support to parents who feel overwhelmed or stuck in figuring out the best steps to take to help their child or teen.
Child Counseling
Growing up is hard work. A healthy childhood is critical for the development of a happy and meaningful life. Everyone has rough days, and children are no exception. Biology will sometimes get in the way of our happiness, and every day a child’s biology is changing. Sometimes, happiness might evade a child for an extended period of time. When this happens, a child might be experiencing clinical depression, anxiety or be responding to a stressful event in their lives. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 1.9 million children ages 3-17 in the United States have been diagnosed with a major depressive episode. During this time, they might get easily frustrated, agitated, and are quick to give up on difficult tasks, or even things they used to enjoy. A child’s self-esteem and confidence will drop during a bout of major depression, which can lead to difficulty expressing themselves in their relationships, in places like school, home, or extracurricular activities. Childhood anxiety is the most common mental health concern that children struggle with, the CDC tells us that approximately 4.4 million children have been diagnosed with anxiety. Childhood anxiety often goes undetected. Unfortunately, grownups often think that some of the symptoms of childhood anxiety are just normal for kids. When kids are experiencing clinical anxiety, they may talk about fears or being scared or have problems sleeping, experience a lot of stomach aches or complain of physical problems. They may become clingy around their parents or caregivers and they may have trouble focusing in the classroom or may be fidgety. Children who are struggling with anxiety may have explosive outbursts that make people think they are oppositional, when their fight-or-flight mechanism is triggered. All of these symptoms can cause great distress for your child and can cause struggles with their relationships and at school.
Luckily, these feelings do not last forever, and with professional help, these feelings and symptoms can be decreased and even eliminated. Many people are squeamish at the thought of giving their child a cocktail of antidepressants, medications are the absolute last line of defense, and thanks to the effectiveness of counseling, they are rarely used to treat major depressive episodes or anxiety in children. At Comforts of Home Counseling, we have professionals who specialize in treating childhood adjustment disorders, depression, anxiety and the behavioral symptoms that are associated with them. Getting a consultation from an experienced clinician at Comforts of Home Counseling may be of great help to both your child and to you as their parent. Growing up is hard work, but we’re here to help.