HOW CAN COUNSELLING HELP CHILDREN?

Counselling can be beneficial for children in several ways. These include: 

Improving emotional regulation: Counselling often helps children to understand and manage their own emotions in a healthy way. This can reduce stress and tension in their lives and the lives of the people they spend time with.

Building self-esteem: counselling can help children develop a positive self-image and begin to understand their own value and worth.

Coping with stress: Children can be taught to develop healthy coping strategies for dealing with stress and difficult situations with counselling.

Managing anxiety: Counselling can help children to manage and understand their anxiety. This can be particularly beneficial for children suffering from anxiety disorders. 

Addressing behavioural problems: Counselling can help children to recognise, understand and learn to change any negative patterns of behaviour that could be causing problems either at home or at school.

Building social skills: Some children have difficulty making friends or interacting with others. Where this is the case, counselling can benefit these children by developing their social skills. 

Improving academic performance: Children who are struggling academically can benefit from counselling, as they can be encouraged to develop better study habits and to understand their individual learning styles. 

It is important to note that children may not have the same verbal skills as adults. Where this is the case, a counsellor may use different techniques which are age-appropriate and led by their developmental level. These techniques could include play therapy, art therapy, or perhaps storytelling. Counsellors work with the child and their family to understand the individual child's needs and goals and therapy is tailored to suit the child's unique situation.