Child therapy can help children and teens who struggle with emotional regulation and behavioural issues. These issues may affect their family or school life.
Mahshid offers both English and Persian counselling for children and teen’s. She has a holistic and trauma-informed approach to her work. She specializes in anxiety, depression, relationship, and emotional regulation concerns.
Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
Emotionally focused family therapy (EFFT) is a pragmatic short-term treatment approach that alleviates distress in families. It is based on attachment theory and aims to create secure relationships in the context of the family system. It uses a collaborative approach that does not place blame on family members, but rather recognizes the role that each member plays in contributing to the problem. The therapist works with the family system to break negative cycles of interaction that eat away at affection.
EFFT is an empirically supported approach that helps parents and caregivers learn to use their own resources to support their child’s ED recovery. This short-term intervention has a strong track record of positive caregiver outcomes that can be sustained over time. The therapist helps families to repair dissatisfactory attachment ties by addressing emotional blocks, which often lead to dysfunctional behaviours such as resentments and unattended needs.
A recent study evaluating the 2-day intensive EFFT caregiver workshop showed that participants had fewer parent blocks and higher self-efficacy in relation to their involvement in their child’s eating disorder treatment. The researchers also found that a thematic analysis of caregiver interviews showed that these improvements were related to the resolution of love-based fears and an increased ability to engage in more productive family interactions. EFFT is a flexible approach that can be delivered with individuals only, families without their children, and with both families and individuals.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
If you have a child with behavioural issues, counselling might help. Behavioural issues can include things like bedwetting, social withdrawal or aggression, changes in appetite, mood swings, difficulty sleeping or concentrating at school, impulsive behaviours, unexplained weight loss or gain, frequent complaints of feeling sick without a medical cause, or trouble with family relationships or school performance.
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that teaches you how to change unhelpful or unhealthy ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. It’s a combination of 2 therapies: “cognitive therapy” and “behavioural therapy”.
CBT focuses on changing negative perceptions or distortions that contribute to maladaptive behaviours. It also aims to teach you how to identify your unhelpful thoughts and to compare them with reality. This can help reduce your anxiety and improve your overall quality of life.
CBT can be short-term, and it usually involves 5-20 one-on-one sessions. It may also involve practice at home, such as keeping an activity diary to monitor your daily activities and identifying problematic patterns. The therapist will then work with you to develop strategies that will help you overcome your current challenges. CBT teaches you how to manage your anxiety and other moods with new skills that can be used long-term. It is a powerful approach to treatment that has been well-studied.
Play Therapy
Play therapy is a non-directive approach to psychotherapy that uses toys as tools for children to express their thoughts, feelings and relationships. It is the most natural form of expression for kids and can be used in conjunction with talk therapy or independently.
During a play therapy session, the child will be given a variety of toys and materials to play with in a safe environment. These toys can include trucks, dolls and action figures, puppets, sand play, art and drawing materials and more. The therapist will observe the child play and interpret what is being expressed through the toys. Using these observations, the therapist will then work with the child to help them resolve psychosocial difficulties and move towards developmentally appropriate growth.
A therapist trained in this practice will use a combination of directive and non-directive play therapy. During directive play, the therapist will offer guidance on what they would like to focus on in their session. They will also create an atmosphere of safety and trust that allows the child to direct their own play freely.
For instance, if a child is acting out their anxiety through organizing behaviors, the counselor may role-play a stressful situation for them, such as their first day of school, to show them that their worst fears often do not come true.
Music Therapy
Music therapy is an expressive art form that can improve and maintain physical, psychological, and social functioning. It has been shown to have positive effects on people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, brain injuries, and Alzheimer’s disease. It also promotes engagement among those who are experiencing adversity, and has been used in settings such as schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, and retirement homes.
During music therapy, clients may listen to music, play an instrument, or sing. Music therapists also use musical improvisation to increase connection and engage clients. In this type of session, the client creates unplanned music with the therapist using instruments such as the voice, drums, or guitar. Music improvisation helps children to develop the ability to be creative and connect with others in an engaging way.
Some music therapists work with clients to compose and notate instrumental and/or lyrical music, which is useful in addressing emotional and social goals for patients. This technique is often used with children who have difficulty communicating or expressing themselves verbally. Other techniques include rehearsing and performing songs, and playing musical games that can encourage rehabilitation in a fun way.
In some cases, the use of music can reduce stress levels and pain perception for mothers in labor. In addition, music has been shown to increase self-esteem and coping skills in children with autism, as well as improve motor function, communication, and socialization in those with developmental disabilities. child therapy north Vancouver
