Psychotherapy (also called therapy) can be used to treat behavioral problems, emotional problems, and family problems.
A psychotherapist can be a psychologist, psychiatrist, advanced practice registered nurse, a social worker, or a licensed mental health counselor. Psychotherapy can take place in a provider’s office at a hospital, clinic, mental health center, or private practice.
To find a psychotherapist, get a referral from your child’s pediatrician. You can also get a recommendation from your child’s school, childcare provider, or other parents or friends. You can also call your insurance company for help finding a psychotherapist.
This type of psychotherapy takes place one-on-one with just the psychotherapist and the patient. There are numerous different types of individual psychotherapy. Some of the different types include:
This form of psychotherapy is primarily used to treat depression and anxiety, but there are other uses for CBT as well. CBT helps people to understand the connections between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT is very collaborative between the patient and the psychotherapist and requires that the patient do “homework” outside of sessions.
This form of psychotherapy is primarily used to treat people who have poor coping skills and very strong emotions. DBT combines CBT skills and mindfulness training and uses individual, group, and family psychotherapy components. DBT is also very collaborative between the patient and the psychotherapist and requires that the patient do “homework” outside of sessions.
This form of psychotherapy helps depressed children understand and resolve problems that they have with other people that may make their depression worse. IPT is only used over a short period of time. The kinds of issues discussed include social isolation, grief, transitions to a new role (for example, college, new sibling or step-parent), and role disputes (for example, who is in charge).
This form of psychotherapy is primarily used to treat patients who have patterns of behavior that are not effective for them in their lives. It involves regular sessions with the focus on developing a strong trusting relationship with the psychotherapist in which the patient is safe to explore their interpersonal interactions. For young children, this psychotherapy often takes the form of “play therapy,” where the psychotherapist will interact with the child while the child plays.
This form of psychotherapy is used to treat family problems. The psychotherapist considers the family, not the individual, as the unit of treatment and emphasizes relationships and communication patterns between people as the focus of work to be done in treatment. In children, family psychotherapy is usually done in addition to individual psychotherapy, as a child’s behavior has an impact on the parents and parents can have an impact on their child’s behavior
Group psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy where a small group of patients meet regularly to talk, interact, and discuss problems with each other and the psychotherapist (also called a group leader). Group psychotherapy can include elements of CBT, DBT, and psychodynamic psychotherapy. Group psychotherapy attempts to give individuals a safe and comfortable place where they can work out problems and emotional issues. Patients gain insight into their own thoughts and behavior and offer suggestions and support to others. In addition, patients who have a difficult time with interpersonal relationships can benefit from the social interactions that are a basic part of the group psychotherapy experience. Sometimes it is easier for children to hear feedback from their peers than from a psychotherapist; this is a strength of this form of treatment.
This type of therapy involves both the parent and the child. PCIT focuses on the relationship between the two and is used specifically for young children.
In some cases, team-based treatment is recommended. This means that there may be multiple mental healthcare providers working together with you and your child to treat your child’s mental illness. There also may be multiple forms of treatment going on as well. It is essential that you and your child’s pediatrician be included in this treatment team.
When a child develops a mental health issue, the child, parents, and other family members need specific information about what is happening - the diagnosis, the meaning of specific symptoms, what is known about the causes, effects, and implications of the mental health issue.
The more the family knows, the less they will blame the child who is experiencing it, or themselves for thinking they somehow caused it.
Psychoeducation is the education of the child, parents, and family members about the child’s mental health issue and treatment. It includes information on how to recognize signs of relapse, so that the child can get necessary treatment before it happens. It also involves teaching coping strategies and problem-solving skills to parents and other family members to help them deal more effectively with the child.
In addition, psychoeducation provides the child and family an idea of what they can expect with the child’s mental health issues over time.
All treatment of children's mental health issues should include some level of psychoeducation. However, psychoeducation is particularly important in the treatment of:
If a child has an anxiety disorder, psychoeducation can help the child, parents, and other family members understand what triggers an anxiety attack so they can defuse the situation and prevent a crisis.
Through psychoeducation, children, parents, and other family members gain insight and learn skills that will reduces distress, confusion, and anxiety within the family and complement the child’s treatment—all lending to the success of the child’s treatment.
