Are you concerned about your child?
As a parent, you worry often about your child. From the moment they’re born, you’re laser-focused on getting their every need met. You provide everything you can so they can live a healthy and happy life. You try to anticipate what will get in the way of their success. You think about the challenges they’ll have to face in their life.
Despite your efforts, things happen to your kids that are outside of your control. They encounter challenges, barriers, and difficult experiences that throw them off course. Your child may have been diagnosed with a medical, psychological, or developmental condition. Or perhaps your child is exhibiting behavioral problems, such as tantrums. Children are also deeply affected by their relationships. They may struggle with their parents, siblings, or peers.
Your child’s struggles aren’t a reflection of you
It’s difficult for parents to open up about the struggles their kids are facing. As a parent, you may feel like a failure. Do you question where you went wrong, or what you could have done instead? You see your child’s struggle as a reflection of you. You feel judged by others looking in.
The truth is that all kids, and their parents, will encounter difficulties at some point in time. And it’s not because you failed as a parent. Many of the things your kids experience are outside of your control. And they can’t always be predicted or easily fixed.
Common challenges for kids in New Jersey
While each child’s journey is unique, some of the most common challenges kids (and their parents) face include:
- Anxiety
- Bedwetting
- Depression
- Excessive worry
- School avoidance or refusal
- Anger, tantrums, or emotional outbursts
- Intrusive thoughts about death and dying
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Other mental- or physical-health related diagnoses
Children who are struggling often show signs of increased fear or worry. Some of the most common worries among kids include the fear of:
- Sleeping alone
- Flying on a plane
- Eating certain foods
- Separating from their parents
- Vomiting (also known as emetophobia)
Parents often worry that their child’s struggles are a sign of a mental illness. A 2023 poll showed that mental health concerns are at the top of the list of parents’ worries, followed by bullying. However, your child doesn’t have to be mentally ill to struggle. Many kids (and their parents) are struggling with issues not related to mental illness, such as:
- Bullying
- Grief and loss
- Parents’ divorce
- Parent’s remarriage
- Starting at a new school
- Blending with a new stepfamily
Your child’s behavior is influenced by their physical abilities, mental health, emotional intelligence, environment, and much more. These factors all impact how your child functions at home, at school, and around others. Trying to manage all of these at once to meet your child’s needs is no easy task. And yet, these are the daily challenges that parents face.
Counseling for Kids in Metuchen, NJ
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but many parents feel alone in their journey. As a parent, you may not know where to turn to get sound advice. Turning to family and friends doesn’t always give you the guidance or support you’re looking for. You might have tried researching online, only to be overwhelmed by what you read. You end up feeling more lost than you did before. Working with a child therapist in Metuchen, NJ may be the answer you’re looking for.
The good news is that child therapists are familiar with all of the issues listed above. Child therapists specialize in helping children and their families find solutions. With the support of a child therapist, there is hope for change.
Consider Working with a Child Therapist in Metuchen, NJ
The benefits of working with a New Jersey child therapist are abundant. Working with a child therapist in Metuchen, NJ can help with:
- Understanding the underlying causes of your child’s diagnosis or behavior
- Creating consistency between your child’s household(s) and school
- Advocating for your child’s needs both inside and outside the home
- Addressing your child’s fears and creating ways to overcome them
- Coming up with ways to work with, instead of against, your child
- Exploring the brain science behind your child’s behavior
- Assessing your child’s strengths and areas of growth
At Mindful Connections Counseling, our approaches to child therapy include, but are not limited to:
- Mindfulness
- Play Therapy
- Family systems
- Narrative Therapy
- Structural Family Therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP)
In Person Child Therapy In Metuchen, NJ
If your child does not thrive in a virtual environment, in person therapy in Metuchen, NJ for your child is available. Many children have experienced burnout, eye strain, and other health issues from extensive screen time. Instead of spending more time in front of a screen, you and your child can meet with your therapist in person.
Our in person child therapists in Metuchen, NJ offer engaging activities during sessions. This could include drawing, writing, or playing a therapeutic game. This can help children open up and engage with the counselor, which increases their chances of success in therapy.
Online Counseling For Kids In New Jersey
If your child is resistant to attending therapy, consider online therapy in New Jersey. This is often an easier way for kids to attend their first session. Many children feel most comfortable at home, rather than going to a stranger’s office. They often enjoy showing their therapist their favorite items, hobbies, or pets. This can help them open up and engage with the counselor, which increases their chances of success in therapy.
Start Child Counseling in Metuchen, NJ
If you’re considering therapy for your child, we know this isn’t easy. Here are Mindful Connections, we are passionate about providing guidance and support to children and their families. We aim to make this process as easy as possible for you and your child.
Therapy at our Metuchen, NJ counseling practice, or online therapy in New Jersey, is easy to access. To get started with therapy:
- Read our FAQs about therapy.
- Fill out a request form on our contact page to schedule a therapy appointment.
- One of our compassionate team members will contact you within 1 business day (excluding holidays) for a phone consultation. The initial phone consultation is complimentary and helps us learn more about how we can help.
- During the initial phone consultation, our compassionate team member will ask about what you’ve been struggling with, or what you hope to achieve in therapy. We will share information about each of our therapists, including their specialties and availability.
- If we’re a good fit for your needs, we match you with one of our in person or online New Jersey therapists. If either of us feel we are not the right fit, we can provide the names of other providers who may be able to help.
Parent Coaching In New Jersey
Let’s face it: kids test our patience in ways no one else can. You love your kids, but sometimes you don’t like them very much. And that’s okay. Often you feel like their emotional punching bag, absorbing continuous blows of negativity. Maybe you want them to try harder in school and make better choices. Or perhaps, you’ve become so distant that you don’t know much about their life right now.
You’ve heard of gentle parenting, helicopter parenting, and everything in between. You may have already tried countless techniques with your kids, but nothing seems to work. You don’t know which parenting style is going to finally get through to them. If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place.
Our therapists provide a non-judgemental space to talk about parenting challenges. Parent coaching with our therapists means learning techniques that are tailored to your family’s needs. If you’re ready to make changes in your household, parent coaching is for you. Parent coaching can be done individually, with your partner, or as separated co-parents. Learning new techniques can be effective at all ages, from newborns to adult children and everything in between.
To get started with parent coaching, fill out a request on our contact page.