counseling for kids and teens in mid-missouri

What kinds of kid and teen issues do you work with?

Depending on the age of the child, having a counselor can give that child an opportunity to talk about things that they may have a need to process.

It can also be an opportunity for them to practice certain skills in a safe and low-stakes environment.

Some common issues that parents seek help for:

• Aggressive behavior

• Emotional outbursts

• Crisis or trauma recovery

• Self-harming

• Kids that feel isolated

• Not listening or following directions at home

• Eating disorders

• Lying

• Stealing

Will I (the parent) need to participate in the sessions?

Most kid issues are family issues, which is why I don’t usually do individual counseling with kids that are younger than about 10. Instead, we’ll take a Family Therapy approach.

Situations with kids that are older than 10 can be decided on a case-by-case basis, and after conversations with the child and the parents.

How will counseling help my child?

Counseling will help your child by reducing behavioral issues and potentially risky behaviors and increasing their ability to be aware of and regulate their own emotions.

A big part of a counselor's job in working with kids and teens is helping you, the parent, understand how they are communicating, and to teach you new ways to understand and support them more effectively.

After counseling, many kids feel more understood and have effective strategies that they know how to use in the real world to help reduce their daily stress and anxiety and get more enjoyment out of their life.

They might come in to the office in pain and uncomfortable. Therapy at its best will help them to understand what they can actually be responsible for, and how to change what they can change.

What are some example goals of counseling for kids or teens?

• Asking for help in appropriate ways

• Learning how to identify the things that are going to upset them (emotional education) and how to manage those emotions

• Having better relationships with their parents, which can look like less fighting and aggression and more open and honest communication

• Reducing stress and anxiety and increasing general feelings of wellbeing

• Learn strategies to handle disordered thinking or behavior

• Decreasing instances of unhealthy lifestyle choices