Empowering Parents of Children with Behavioral and Emotional Challenges
Populations Served
Young Children (4-6)
While in most cases, parents report that their children have been challenging since birth, they begin to worry when they receive feedback from staff at daycare, nursery school, or transitional kindergarten.
They might hit, throw objects, or have tantrums and emotional outbursts directed at siblings, parents, teachers, and babysitters, even when these adults are being supportive and caring about the child’s needs. This causes challenges in school, sports, social, and family settings.
When they become triggered, most likely nothing that the adult does or says will work. In addition, any type of disciplinary action that stresses the child usually results in behavioral escalation as consequences dysregulate their stress response system.
As they interact with other children, they begin to realize they are different and develop a negative self-narrative. They might get jealous if one of their friends interacts with other children or when their parents dedicate attention to a sibling.
Children (7-12)
These children present with challenges similar to those of young children, but they also begin to exhibit more behavioral issues at school. In addition, their inability to self-regulate begins to affect their academic performance.
Around this time, these children usually demand increased screen usage. They might also be referred for an ADHD or learning disability assessment.
Also, at this age, their feelings of insecurity and inadequacy start to be expressed more directly. They might say things like: “I am dumb” or “I want to kill myself.” It is at this stage of development that depression and anxiety symptoms start to emerge.
Adolescents (13-18)
If the child has been struggling since they were very young, adolescence is when their challenges can quickly escalate. Adolescents are more sophisticated in their ability to plan ways to get in trouble. They can use their bigger size and strength to threaten peers and adults. The changes associated with puberty can introduce additional risks associated with the use of pornography and sexual activity. The increased sophistication associated with adolescence can also result in risky behaviors, school refusal, and substance use.
The adolescents that I have worked with have usually been struggling since they were young children. Even though many had seen various psychotherapists and had tried medications, my experience has been that the therapeutic approach that has been used has not considered their non-formularity. In other words, instead of helping them build their confidence by focusing on their strengths, traditional therapeutic approaches attempt to turn them into someone they are not (i.e., the average adolescent) by focusing on behavior modification.
Young Adults (18+)
My young adult clients usually fit into two groups: There are some who have struggled to finish high school and are too depressed or unmotivated to know what to do with their future. They continue to live at home and spend most of their time playing video games, hanging with their friends, and smoking cannabis. This causes problems at home as their parents might feel that their child can’t continue living at home without working towards their future. However, every encouragement might turn into a fight.
The other type of client was able to hide the severity of their suffering and managed to graduate from high school, apply to colleges, and get accepted to one of their top choices. They appeared excited about their new future as college students. However, they were not mature enough to manage the increased complexity and responsibility required to be a successful college student. Unfortunately, they end up in a crisis that jeopardizes their enrollment due to academic challenges or legal issues. These young adults were not ready to be on their own and return home, usually during their freshman year, to reassess their future.
Get In Touch
If you would like to learn more about my approach, please fill out the form below, and I will reach out to you. For prospective clients, I like to schedule a complimentary phone consultation to learn more about your needs and share how I could support your family.