Counseling for Children

Children are so easily influenced by the world around them. There are times these influences lead to behavioral or mental health issues. Children weren’t designed to take on the stress of peer pressure that is so prevalent in the world today.

Learning to raise a child according to God’s Word is becoming less popular. However, once the boundaries are established the child will have a foundation that will carry him or her through life. Heath Christian Counseling is ready to help you understand how counseling for children and biblical principles can create that foundation for your child.

Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he grows older he will not abandon it. Proverbs 22:6, NASB

By applying Christ-centered applications you can raise your children in a way that will give them the tools to face their challenges. These principles help them understand that the “cool-kid club” doesn’t always have their best interest at heart. Using a faith-based process our counselors can assist you in giving your child access to those tools.

These are the most common reasons parents seek counseling for their children from Heath Christian Counseling.

Anxiety and depression: Children are not immune from experiencing anxiety or depression. If your child seems to have a sudden onset of nightmares, he or she could be battling anxiety. Other signs of anxiety are lack of concentration at school, headaches, and a new concern for family or self. Depression could be the culprit if your child seems to isolate from family or appear to be more tired. Each of these is treatable with and without medication.

ADHD: Even though ADHD is like anxiety, there is a difference. This requires a different approach for counseling children that have been diagnosed with ADHD. It can also be treated with and without medication. The most common indicators of ADHD are lack of attention, impulsiveness, and constant motion.

Eating disorders: The most common indicator is a change in your child’s eating habits. He or she may all of a sudden decide not to eat with the family or no longer like a favorite food. Most parents identify with the avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. AFRID is when a child struggles to eat for a reason that has nothing to do with appearance, such as fear of choking or getting sick.

Self-injuring behaviors: Most children who exhibit self-injuring behaviors suffer from an underlying impairment such as autism. Seeing your child try to self-harm can be alarming. Although the child may not be trying to inflict a life-ending injury, any self-injuring behavior can result in death. If you notice blood on clothes or bruises of which you were unaware, your child could be trying to self-injure. Sometimes there are external factors will influence these behaviors.

Anger issues: When a child battles anger issues counseling can help you help them without provoking more anger. There has to be authority, but there also has to be consistency. Otherwise, the child may become less likely to overcome anger issues. Counselors can help you create a healthy way to respond to anger while encouraging your child to manage their emotions.