Blog Post

Introduction

The ultimate goal of therapy is to help you live a happy and healthy life. Treatment doesn't just focus on the past; it also works with your present and future. The therapist's job is to work with you to figure out what brings joy in your life and how to manage stressors without feeling overwhelmed or hopeless. With consistent effort, therapy can improve your coping skills, relationships, self-esteem, parenting abilities, work performance, and so much more!

Therapy for children has different goals than therapy for adults because children are still developing their personalities and coping skills. Since they are in such an important time in their lives, they need an understanding adult who can give them insight into themselves in ways they may not be able to.

What is child therapy, and who can provide it?

Child therapy is when a therapist helps children with their thoughts. Child therapists are people who have special skills to help kids. There are many kinds of child therapists. Some have college degrees in counseling or psychology, but others are more like doctors who know about the brain and its thoughts.

Child therapists can help you with your thoughts by talking to you about them, drawing pictures of them, playing games with you that make it feel better, or just being there for you in general. In addition, a child therapist can provide a safe place to talk about your problems and give you new ideas for solving them.

The different types of therapists that work with children

There are many different types of therapists that work with children. Some of these professionals have undergraduate degrees in social work, psychology, or something similar, while others may be more closely related to psychiatry. Regardless, all of these therapists are skilled in working with children and can provide support in very different ways depending on the unique needs of each individual.

- Child Psychologists

- School Counselors

- Family Therapists

- Social Workers

- Psychiatrists

- Trauma Therapists

There are many different types of child therapists that work with children. While some professionals have undergraduate degrees in social work, psychology, or something similar, others may be more closely related to psychiatry. However, regardless of the child therapist's unique training and background, they will all help children through their mental health challenges in one way or another.

Here's a a breakdown of different types of Child Mental Health Specialists.

Child psychologists

These psychologists tend to work independently and see patients in private practice or mental health clinic settings. In addition, some child psychologists receive additional training in practicums, internships, residencies, fellowships, and more. Because of this further education and experience, child psychologists can provide comprehensive, effective, and more specialized treatment for children.

School Counselors

These counselors can work either part-time or full-time in a private practice setting, but they are also often employed by schools to help students with mental health challenges. School counselors typically possess a master's degree and provide short-term therapy during the school day. They may meet with an entire grade level at once or see only those students who need extra support.

Family Therapists

As the name implies, these therapists often conduct family therapy sessions. Therefore, family therapists must have at least a master's degree. Most will possess additional counseling training; however, some family therapists may only hold bachelor's degrees, so it is essential to do your research before you decide on a child therapist.

In addition to holding at least a master's degree, family therapists also typically work with several different individuals in their patients' lives, such as parents, siblings, grandparents, and other caregivers. This type of therapy is most effective when the entire family works together to solve issues that affect them all, so each member of the family must attend sessions with the family therapist.

Social Workers

Social workers can work part-time or full-time, like school counselors and family therapists, providing services in private practice settings or mental health clinics. However, they must possess a bachelor's degree before they are eligible for licensure. Most will also have completed practicums, internships, residencies, and more to further enhance their skills in working with children.

Social workers will typically conduct group therapy sessions and meet individually with clients (and possibly their parents). They may see children dealing with a variety of issues such as family conflict, divorce, and separation from loved ones.

Family Psychiatrists

These psychiatrists receive additional training in family medicine during residency, while most child psychiatrists do not receive this training. Family psychiatrists usually provide: talk therapy sessions, but they can prescribe medications for mental health conditions; however, if the problem requires more intensive treatment, they may refer you to another therapist or psychiatrist who is better suited to help you through that particular issue.

Trauma Therapists 

Trauma therapists work with children who have experienced a traumatic event, such as witnessing or falling victim to violence, abuse, or neglect. Because of the severity of the trauma they are dealing with, these children may need intensive therapy that lasts for several months or even years. In many cases, trauma therapists will use different treatments and therapies together to ensure their patients get the most comprehensive treatment possible.

Child Therapist Education Requirements

In addition to having at least a bachelor's degree and completing an accredited graduate program (usually a master's degree), child therapists must also pass licensure requirements before practicing independently.

Most states require only a license from the state board of health and education, but some states may require

The benefits of child therapy

Therapy helps children. It is something they can do to get help when they are feeling bad or have a problem. If you tell the therapist about your situation, they will know what to do so you can feel better. Also, if someone hurts your feelings, therapy can help make them feel better too! Therapy is helpful because it brings people closer together and helps them get along better with each other.

In many cases, child therapists will use different treatments and therapies together to ensure their patients get the most comprehensive treatment possible. Child therapists are exceptionally skilled at helping children develop coping skills and helping them get back to doing the things they love. Kids who have a hard time may feel better by just talking to someone about their problems or spending some time with an animal companion in a therapeutic setting.

With this in mind, let's talk more about child therapy: how it works and what different types of treatments children can participate in to help themselves.

How does child therapy work?

First, a therapist will talk with the child and the parents. They might ask lots of questions or talk about what's going on in life that may have made them come into session. Then the therapist will figure out some ways for the child to feel better or do something new so that things don't bother them anymore. The therapist might suggest doing these things together with mom and dad or just a single parent if it would help.

Like family therapists and social workers, counselors often see clients individually as well as in group sessions. Counselors are not allowed to prescribe medications (unless they hold another specialty such as psychiatry). Still, they may recommend that their patients find a psychiatrist willing to work together with them as a team. In most cases, counselors will have at least a master's degree in their field; however, some states may require licensure at the doctoral level for counselors.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we've explored what child therapy is and who can provide it. We also examined the different types of therapists that work with children and some of the benefits of getting service from one. In conclusion, there are many reasons why you may want to consider seeking out a therapist for your family – whether they be mental health professionals or someone with experience in working with kids. If you have any questions about how these services will help your situation feel free to contact us! Our team would love to hear from you and explore ways our experts can support your needs through practical communication skills training and cognitive behavioral therapy sessions.