Counseling for Children
Counseling for children struggling with anxiety, recovering from trauma or adjusting to a major life change
Counseling for Children
At this time, Aspire Counseling is primarily accepting clients age 10 and older. Our therapists do see a limited number of younger children when appropriate. Typically these include children who have experienced trauma (including we have a therapist who specializes in seeing children birth-age 5 who have experienced trauma), who are experiencing anxiety, or who are experiencing traumatic grief. You can read more about our current child counseling services here.
Does my child need counseling?
Every child has the potential to be successful and happy. If your child needs a helping hand to get there, counseling can help them on their journey. Examples of children who may benefit from Aspire Counseling services include:
A child whose behavior has changed or seems to be struggling to adjust after a major life change or trauma. This may include a divorce, a significant move, witnessing violence, a serious car accident, or a house fire.
A child who has experienced significant loss including the death of a family member.
A child who is has anxiety that keeps them awake or keeps them from doing things.
A child who is questioning their gender identity.
A pre-teen who has extreme shifts in their emotions and has difficulty coping with big feelings. These youth may cry easily, yell at their parents, or otherwise show that they are overwhelmed.
Any child or pre-teen who has mentioned suicide or wanting to die. While not common, kids as young as 8 or 9 have attempted suicide so these suicidal comments should always be discussed with a mental health professional.
What age do children benefit from counseling services?
Every child is different and every family is different. Therefore, this is a difficult question to answer on a web page. At this time, our practice primarily sees children age 12 and older, but if you feel your younger child may benefit from our services, feel free to contact us using the form on this page or by calling 573-328-2288 to discuss the pros/cons of getting your child in to see someone at Aspire Counseling.
We particularly specialize in working with younger children whose primary concern is trauma recovery or anxiety. In fact, we have one child trauma therapist fully trained in TF-CBT which is the evidence-based PTSD treatment for children. Aspire Therapy Counselors have seen children as young as 4 as well as older children with developmental delays. Our therapists meet your child where they are developmentally and emotionally and will tailor treatment to the needs of your family.
What will my child do in therapy?
Every child is unique and therefore your child’s therapist knows their treatment is unique. Your child therapist will tailor the treatment plan to their situation and personality building on their individual strengths. You will be regularly updated about your child’s counseling and progress and may be included in your child’s counseling sessions.
Art
Kids are frequently invited to express themselves through painting, coloring, or other creative interventions during counseling sessions. Examples include painting a mask, mindfully coloring, using a puzzle to illustrate different parts of their lives, or creating a “shield of skills.”
Sand Tray
Your child’s therapist may invite them to use the sand tray. Kids often enjoy using sand trays and may express things in sand that is difficult to say out loud. We have a wide variety of sand tray miniatures for your child to use to explore their emotions.
Books & Games
Books and games are used to build rapport, encourage self-expression and teach new skills in session. Our office has a variety of games (both homemade and store-bought) for different ages and various issues. Sometimes a game is as simple as balancing a peacock feather on the end of your finger to practice Mindfulness or playing Simon Says to practice following directions.
Mindfulness
Through learning to nonjudgmentally pay attention to the present moment young people gain control of their mind, emotions, and life as a whole. We begin teaching Mindfulness to kids as young as 4.
Play
Play is a child's language, so it is the primary language we speak in sessions with younger children. We often follow the child-centered play therapy model meaning that we see the child as the expert in their own needs and allow them to make a lot of choices in the therapy room. Our job as the therapist is to set them up for healing by carefully selecting the right play materials and fostering a caring, accepting therapeutic relationship. Creating a strong therapeutic relationship and a safe environment gives your child the freedom to explore their emotions and practice new skills through play.
Talking
Your child may just like to talk things through. In this case, we have specific techniques we’ve learned that will help your child see things in a new way, learn new skills to try, or feel more confident moving forward. Depending on your child’s developmental level, we may be focusing on expressing their emotions, learning coping skills or even completing simple, age-appropriate worksheets based on cognitive behavior therapy.
TF-CBT: A Structured Trauma Therapy for Kids
At Aspire Counseling, we are proud to be able to offer Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for children who have been through something traumatic. This type of therapy is considered the “gold standard” for treating PTSD in children. While every child follows a specific sequence for moving through the healing process in TF-CBT, there is also a lot of room for the therapist to individualize the treatment to your child. Through this type of trauma therapy, your child will learn new skills to cope not only with what happened in the past but also with stressful events in the future. Furthermore, you as the caretaker are very involved in the treatment. The therapist will support you and work with you so that you feel comfortable helping your child during this difficult time. Additionally, it will help you and your child build a closeness where you can have difficult discussions with one another.
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Call today to find a therapist for your son or daughter
If your child is struggling with grief, anxiety, trauma, or another mental health concern, you may be looking for a therapist for your child. If you are wondering, “Will counseling help,” contact us today. We will talk to you about the pros and cons of bringing your child to a therapist. If you decide to start counseling, we’ll help you find the right therapist for your son or daughter. When you let us know what struggles your family is facing, what type of therapist you think your child might respond well to, and any scheduling limitations we will let you know which therapist(s) might be a good fit. At the moment we have two therapists who see younger children. As a Columbia, MO counseling center, we will go above and beyond to make sure both you and your child are as comfortable with the process of starting mental health treatment as possible.