Child Counseling

Does Your Child Seem Down, Defiant or Distant?

Are you having a hard time connecting with your child? Are you experiencing behavioral or emotional challenges with your child, and feel unsure of how to interact with them? Perhaps you worry that something is wrong with you—or even more concerning, that something is “wrong” with them.

After another exhausting day of conflict and strain, you may feel like you’re not good enough for your child, and you’re struggling to find the right way to communicate with them. Maybe you’re a single parent trying to raise them all by yourself, and you feel constantly overwhelmed or defeated. Do you notice power struggles between you and your kid, especially after they spend time with their other parent or caregivers? Have you been fighting with them because you can’t find the right way to get through to them?

Or, maybe you know or suspect that your child has experienced a trauma, and you feel like you can’t give them the support or the answers that they need to cope with what happened. Perhaps you feel helpless in this situation and need direction to help you process this pain along with them.

Regardless of what situation is putting a strain on your relationship with your child, do you wish you could have a better connection with them? Do you wish you could just understand them and help them have the happy, hopeful life they deserve?

Many Parents Struggle To Connect With Their Child(ren)

Parenting is hard for everyone. Especially for a new parent, learning how to appropriately connect and communicate with your child can be more difficult than many realize. Like so many others, you might feel like a “bad” parent because you don’t know how to talk to your kid, or because you find yourself getting overly frustrated with them. This is completely normal! And it’s why counseling for kids and parents can be so helpful.

First, it’s important to remember that there’s not just one version of a healthy, loving family. Whether because of differences in cultures, locations, traditions, circumstances or simply personalities, each family has its own unique way of operating. In other words, each family creates its own version of harmonious “normal.” 

However, especially if you’re involved in your child’s school and your local community, you might compare yourself to other parents and feel yourself falling short. Many parents struggle with the pressure to parent in one specific way, even if that way doesn’t actually work for them. And, parents aren’t given an individualized guidebook on how to be a “good” parent—it’s often something you—and all other parents—learn by trial and error.

You might be struggling with your child’s behavioral issues and you feel like you just don’t have the time to try another method of enforcing healthy rules and creating calm in your home. Or, the family dynamic in your home might be complicated, which can lead to tension between you and your kid. 

Additionally, you might feel extremely overwhelmed by various situations in your life—such as your career, romantic relationship or finances—and you might struggle with managing that stress in your home. It would be difficult for anyone to maintain a close parent-child bond while balancing everything else.

Fortunately, child counseling can provide you the tools to help you interact with your child in a healthier way. You can learn how to balance life more efficiently so that you can begin foster a deeper relationship with your child.

Therapy With Couples & Family Counseling Center Can Help

Counseling can help you and your child develop a stronger relationship. At Couples & Family Counseling Center, we are committed to offering you the guidance you and your child need to communicate from a place of understanding, rather than stress or tension. Therapy for kids and parents can be so effective in helping your child feel heard and seen, which can overall help your home function more comfortably and with less stress. 

In therapy, we work hard to provide a safe, warm and welcoming environment so that both you and your child feel comfortable enough to open up. We understand that every family situation is different, so we make sure to tailor sessions to meet you and your family’s individual needs. At some point, nearly every parent will experience frustrations and doubts about how to best nurture their children, which is why parenting therapy can be so helpful. Our role is to help equip and empower you to handle even the toughest moments with patience and grace. For example, we can offer education about where your child is developmentally, and practice the parenting skills that can address these trouble areas. 

You and your child can also begin to learn how to regulate difficult emotions when you are interacting. This is especially important if your child experienced some sort of trauma in their life; this could be a divorce, the death of a family member or friend, a car accident, an animal bite, some form of abuse, bullying or any life event that causes significant distress or disrupts their daily life. We help your child work through trauma by guiding them to understand and express their feelings, cope with overwhelm and process the traumatic event in a safe, child-centered setting.

It’s important to know that, whatever you and your child are going through, you are not alone in this. Many parents suffer through similar situations, and it is never easy. With help and support, you and your child can begin strengthening your relationship, building a foundation of familial trust, accountability and care. 

You May Have Questions Or Concerns Regarding Child Counseling…

Is my child’s behavior normal?

It’s common for parents to question whether their kid is “normal.” You are not alone in feeling helpless when dealing with your child, and it can be frustrating when you just don’t understand why they do what they do. However, just because you are experiencing tension or behavioral issues with your child, doesn’t mean they are doomed or stuck.

A child therapist can help you get through to your child so that you can better understand where they are coming from. Counseling can also help your child gain the skills to better process and communicate their emotions so that you can both work through conflict more effectively.

What can I do to help improve my relationship with my child?

If you’re a parent who struggles to connect with your child, it doesn’t mean that something is “wrong” with either of you. Many parents just don’t have the specialized communication skills needed to connect deeply with their child, and vice versa. That’s exactly what child counseling is meant for.

In counseling, you will both learn how to understand one another better, which can often help prevent future conflict. When you can each get on the same level, you can begin to deepen your connection and help your child grow up in a new, healthy way.

How can I help my child process a difficult life change or trauma?

The best thing you can do is offer your child love and support. It is so hard to watch your child suffer, especially when you don’t know what to do. A child psychologist will help your child understand and work through emotions, but they still need their parents actively supporting them.

In therapy, your child will learn how to revisit and work through their trauma or difficult life event, and they will gain important tools to help them cope and move forward. With your support and love for your child in combination with active therapy sessions, your kiddo can begin to heal and start enjoying a sense of safety and security again. They are not “doomed” or destined to suffer through this forever—with help, they can bounce back and develop a deep resilience that can support them throughout their future.

Child Counseling Can Help You And Your Kid Find Relief

I want to help you and your child form a deeper, healthy connection. If you’re curious whether we can provide the support your child needs, call me for a free 15- to 30- minute phone consultation at (720) 443-1868, or email me at couplesandfamilycc@gmail.com for more information about counseling in Colorado.