Helping Your Child

Emotional Problems-Helping Your Child

Gee, I wonder if my folks would like to read these?

Emotional or Behavioral

Problems In Children

What can you do to help? The most important steps to take are to recognize that it may be an emotional or behavioral problem your child is having and to intervene as quickly as possible.

In many cases, finding a good therapist will be key in recognizing the problem and in treating it effectively.

Should My Child See a Therapist? Finding A Therapist; How To Evaluate One; First Visit, How You Can Help. See: Problems In Children

The Continuum of Care for Children And Adolescents

A complete range of programs and services is called the continuum of care. Not every community has every type of service or program on the continuum.

The beginning point for parents concerned about their child's behavior or emotions should be an evaluation by a qualified mental health professional such as a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

Many of the programs on the continuum offer a variety of different treatments, such as individual psychotherapy, family therapy, group therapy, and medications.

A brief description of the different services or programs in a continuum of care can be found at Continuum of Care Programs

Know When to Seek Help for Your Child

Parents are usually the first to recognize that their child has a problem with emotions or behavior. Still, the decision to seek professional help can be difficult and painful for a parent.

The first step is to gently try to talk to the child. An honest open talk about feelings can often help.

Know When to Seek Help for Your Child continued

Parents may choose to consult with the child's physicians, teachers, members of the clergy, or other adults who know the child well. These steps may resolve the problems for the child and family.

Following are a few signs which may indicate that a child and adolescent psychiatric evaluation will be useful. Signs When An Evaluation Should Be Considered

Knowing Where To Find Help For Your Child

A child's emotional distress often causes disruption to both the parent's and the child's world.

Parents may have difficulty being objective. They may blame them-selves or worry that others such as teachers or family members will blame them.

Parents are often concerned about their child's emotional health or behavior but they don't know where to start to get help. The mental health system can sometimes be complicated and difficult for parents to understand.

A child's emotional distress often causes disruption to both the parent's and the child's world.

If you are worried about your child's emotions or behavior, you can start by talking to friends, family members, your spiritual counselor, your child's school counselor, or your child's pediatrician or family physician about your concerns.

If you think your child needs help, you should get as much information as possible about where to find help for your child.

Parents should be cautious about using Yellow Pages phone directories as their only source of information and referral. Other sources of information include: Where To Find Sources of Information