Emotional and behavioral disorders can indeed be the cause of much stress around the household. However, if you have decided to approach therapy as an option for treatment, you have to be on the ball as concerned parents. It is important that you are in regular touch with your child’s therapists so that you can track progress and also practice the advice that they give you for home.
It is known that about 80% of patients who suffer from depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can benefit from this kind of therapy.
Talk Therapy
Today most experts prescribe one to one talk therapies like behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy. Both these therapies are short term, result oriented, and can be carried on for anywhere between ten to thirty five weeks. Often a combination of cognitive – behavioral therapy is also carried on.
Cognitive therapy is aimed at relieving patients of negative thoughts that weight them down. It is indeed extremely tough to get young kids to start thinking positive when they have a negative frame of mind. The power of positive thinking often falls short to work against depression. Cognitive therapy works towards helping patients focus on controlling the mind and change their perception about situations that are negative.
Behavioral therapy aims at teaching giving up a self-defeating behavior and attitude. When dealing with small children, modification will have to be facilitated with the help of a reward system. On the other hand, when it comes to adults and teenagers a desirable behavior is facilitated with reinforcing and cultivating a positive outlook.
Social skills training should be a part of cognitive and behavioral therapy, this is primarily because young kids who suffer from anxiety and may be despondent could feel a little awkward in situations that demand high social interactions. They tend to be self conscious and therefore find it difficult to initiate conversations, make eye contact and basically indulge in normal social behavior. Social skills training teaches them how to be communicative, assertive and approachable.
Family Counseling and group therapy is always accompanied with individual therapy. A combination of all three is an absolute must for desirable results.
The entire environment of the child should be sensitized about the condition, and the training that is dispensed in therapy should indeed be applied to post those sessions as well and therefore training the family is an absolute must. Group therapy helps children to understand that they are not alone, and there are other children like them too who need help.
It is indeed extremely stressful to have a child who has behavioral disorders. However, as a concerned parent you should know that today with advancements in medical science, and basic intervention through therapy and a little effort on your part, you can indeed help your child grow beautifully.
A few experts believe that following a restrictive diet could help improve behavior as well, and therefore a Registered Holistic Nutritionist to understand what foods can help you assist positive changes in behavior is indeed the way to go. You should also think about consulting with a homeopath to learn what natural techniques can help you create a positive change in behavior for your child.
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