How Can Therapy Help My Kid?
Many kids and teens can benefit from counseling as they learn to trudge through life’s challenges at different stages in their lives. During therapy, your child's counselor will assess what the child is experiencing and provide techniques tailored to meet the needs of the child or adolescent. At Grand Oaks Counseling, in Decatur, Alabama, our children's therapists will also assist your child in exploring thoughts and feelings using a variety of evidenced-based practices including elements of play therapy, sand tray, expressive art, narrative therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solutions-focused therapy (SFT), and many others. We have experienced counselors with training in ADHD, Applied Behavior Analysis interventions, complex childhood trauma, and more. By using integrative methods of therapy, children and adolescents will learn to develop healthy coping skills, identify and understand emotions, identify helpful behaviors, improve self-confidence, build healthy relationships, and resolve inner conflicts.
What Should We Expect?
The aim of your child's therapist is to build a trusting relationship that will encourage and facilitate growth in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Kids and teens will have fun but also gain a healthy sense of self-expression and coping skills. It is important to remember that children and adolescents make progress at different rates. Some will be accepting of therapy right away, while others may need more time to become comfortable. Taking the time to develop a relationship with your child that consists of trust and transparency is perhaps the most
important part of successful therapy. It is within the client/therapist relationship that significant change will occur. At Grand Oaks Counseling in Decatur, Alabama, you can expect that we will work as partners with you and your child. Although we may be the experts on the therapeutic process, you are the expert on your child.
What is My Part?
Parent involvement in child therapy is vital to successful treatment because there is no one more important to a child’s life than the parents.
Parents are crucial to emotional healing.
Parents must be ready to provide meaningful support but also allow necessary space to learn and grow. Having a warm and supportive environment at home is also essential to promote progress outside of therapy sessions. Be willing to commit to therapy, trust the process, and work as a team with your child and your child’s therapist.
Our Kid's Therapy Room
Our Kid-Friendly Office
Our goal has been to create a welcoming and safe space for your child to learn, explore and process the difficulties they are experiencing. Even though therapy is where painful feelings are felt and troublesome behaviors are addressed, it is important to us that "going to therapy" be a positive experience for your child.
Dollhouse Play
The tiny characters and rooms are perfect for allowing little ones a space to lay out their inner world and look at their big thoughts and emotions on a small scale which their little system is able to process. Doll house play is also an avenue by which they children can express what they don’t have language for yet— and with the therapist develop the words so they CAN express what they need, what hurts, or what they long for.
Elements of Sand Tray Therapy
Playing in the sand can be lots of fun and a very therapeutic way for kids to express themselves and make sense of their story.