Children and teens can experience trauma, stress and anxiety that can be challenging for them to handle on their own. It may also be very difficult for parents to address, and it can create situations where the parent feels unable to help their child.
For these families, child & adolescent psychology in Salt Lake City can provide a solution to this often sensitive issue. A specially trained pediatric psychologist can evaluate and assess children and teens of all ages, and then work with both children and parents to address the causes of the childrens stress, anxiety or depression.
School Issues
For a number of children, ranging from elementary through high school grades, stress at school can cause a significant amount of anxiety. Even seemingly minor events can be perceived as traumatic to some children and teens, and may cause them to become very discouraged in their ability to learn and succeed in academic classes. This may lead to them being unwilling to go to school; they may skip school or even threaten to drop out.
Through the services of child & adolescent psychology, children can work privately with a psychologist to develop effective strategies for addressing school anxiety. They can learn relaxation exercises and also get help with learning challenges through assessments and evaluations.
Peer Interactions
Sometimes children have a difficult time interacting with their peers at school, in the neighborhood, and in the community. These children may have developmental issues or difficulties in “reading” others using visual and relationship clues.
Through child & adolescent psychology, children can learn social strategies and practice having positive interactions with peers. This gives children the confidence to reach out and make friends, addressing potential issues of isolation, loneliness and depression.
Behavioral Issues
Children may also act out on their thoughts, emotions and feelings in ways that are difficult for parents, schools and communities to deal with. Children who use these inappropriate behaviors are often labeled, and this can result in children developing low self-esteem and self-worth.
By working with a psychologist, children and teens can learn more effective behaviors and develop the skills needed to address issues verbally rather than through acting out.
A psychologist will tailor the treatment plans to each child or teen based on their individual needs. Pediatric psychologists are trained to work with children, and they quickly build rapport, develop trust and demonstrate to kids that learning new behaviors and coping strategies is a positive step to achieving their goals.
