Parents seeing disturbing changes or difficulties in their child’s behavior wonder how to help him. When is it worth going to a psychologist with a child? This is a question many carers ask themselves. In this article we will try to highlight situations when it is good to seek outside support.
When to seek the help of a child psychologist
It happens that situations arise that require psychological help. This may include difficulties in the child’s daily functioning and development that is at a slower pace. Always watch your child carefully, however, sometimes it is an outsider who notices that our child has some developmental difficulties. When considering when to go to a psychologist with your child, it is also worth considering the opinions of other people. He is often a kindergarten or school teacher because he has the relevant knowledge and comparisons to other peers.
Many parents wonder at what age it is possible to use the help of a child psychologist. You can go to the appointment already with an infant, when you notice him being over-agitated, irritable or having difficulty sleeping. If something bothers us, let’s reach for professional help. The rebellion of a two-year-old is known, which is a natural stage of development, but if we have the impression that it is too intense in our ward, we can also look for support.
If we see that your child is experiencing some difficult emotions, fears, tantrums or crying, it is worth considering seeing a specialist. In fact, we can always go to a psychologist for advice. We are the parents who know our child best, so if we are worried that something is wrong with him, we should decide to seek psychological help.
With older children, things are a bit different. Teenagers can hide their troubles and do not always want to share them with their parents. However, seeing that our client is experiencing some difficulties, it is worth considering visiting a specialist. In such situations, a youth psychologist can put the situation into perspective and provide professional help.
Resistance from parents
What kind of resistance may arise in people wondering when to see a child psychologist? Some parents are concerned that the decision to make such a visit proves that they have not proven themselves as carers. On the contrary, if we seek external support, it means we care for our child and we can admit that some problems are beyond our abilities.
The parent should know that during such a visit he will not be assessed by anyone and the psychologist, thanks to his competence and experience, will be able to provide professional help. Therapeutic sessions are based on cooperation, if the parent tells the problem as honestly as possible, the psychologist will try to organize the information and show the situation from a different perspective.
During such meetings, the specialist will also show us the strengths of our child . Sometimes in a psychotherapeutic office we find out that the reactions of our client to a given situation are completely natural and we have nothing to worry about. At the same time, measures will be taken to help the child go through the difficult time. It is also very important that the parent is on the child’s side, then it will be much easier to provide support.
Resistance from the child
When we decide to go with a child to a psychologist, it may happen that the child refuses to see a specialist. This is a situation where the parent should make the firm decision. It is worth treating it in terms of visiting a doctor – when a child feels unwell, we do not ask him if he wants to go to a doctor’s clinic.
However, you should prepare it properly for such a meeting – explain why you are going there, ensure that the visits will take place in a pleasant atmosphere and that there is nothing to be afraid of. Of course, the information and language should be adapted to the age of the child.
The situation may be slightly different in the case of adolescents. If a teenager does not want to agree to such a visit, we are unable to force him. However, an interview should be conducted in which we inform him that we want to help him and that no one will try to change him. It is worth noting that the psychologist is bound by professional secrecy. This means that it is the teenager who decides what information he shared with the therapist during the meetings can be disclosed to the parents. This builds a sense of trust and security and increases the chance that the young person will open up to a specialist . It is also worth suggesting to the teenager that he / she should co-decide in choosing a specialist.
In the text, we tried to help parents who do not know when to go to a psychologist to make a decision. In fact, it is the parent who knows his child best, so if something about the behavior of our charge raises our concern, do not hesitate to seek specialist advice.