Child Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be an extremely effective tool with children. Often children feel empowered when they realize that they have control over many of the worries that seem to be controlling them. For example, children who struggle with social or school-related anxiety tend to make erroneous assumptions about how others see them. When we ask them to tell us what these assumptions are, they frequently begin to see that their beliefs may not be accurate (“When your friend raised her hand and got the answer wrong, did you think that she was dumb? Is it possible that if you got an answer wrong, your friends wouldn’t think you were dumb either?”). They learn to appreciate how their assumptions contribute to their anxiety and they are encouraged to substitute more positive messages to themselves. Although this sounds quite simple, these are strategies that will benefit them throughout their lives. Children are encouraged to take chances, laugh at their mistakes, appreciate what they do well and become comfortable with their imperfect selves! I typically involve parents in my work with children and pre-teens. Children are encouraged to share their insights with their parents and they often work together between sessions to achieve specific goals.