Challenging Kids

Does it seem like your child, who you used to enjoy so much, is becoming increasingly difficult? Won’t listen, fighting with you, or angry all the time? Is family life becoming more difficult because your child’s behavior is running the show?

You’re not sure what happened exactly.

But parenting has never been more difficult, because the latest version of your child gets frustrated and angry so easily. She may be having meltdowns or temper tantrums, refusing to listen or follow directions. She may even be acting out her aggression physically.

The battles are really stressful and are making it really hard to connect with your child. And more than anything, you’d like to be able to talk to your child, to know what is going on….to communicate and connect. It’s understandable you’d be worried.

You’d like to make sure your child learns to accept limits, knows how to handle normal stressors, can regulate her emotions, most importantly, can get along with others. But you’re starting to worry that that is not the path your child is on. Your hopes for your child are reasonable, and it’s understandable to be concerned.

Counseling can be enormously helpful in helping your child with this painful turmoil.

We can help your child realize that underneath the anger, there are other feelings that they may not know how to describe, such as sadness, grief, fear, loneliness, or anxiety. We can teach your child to identify these feelings, express them appropriately, and learn to get their needs met in more effective ways.

If your child is frequently angry or upset, it is good to get the help of a trained professional to help your child and help you learn more about what is going on. Your child may be anxious, depressed, or simply lost in being able to describe what he is feeling. We can help you identify what the issue is and help your child feel better and gain strategies for coping more effectively.

Counseling can help your child :

• Learn to regulate their emotions, including anger
• Understand what situations trigger upset feelings and how to manage them differently
• Remain calm when communicating upset feelings
• Befriend their emotions and use them as a guide to what they want and need
• Develop self awareness
• Become sensitive to the needs of others
• Communicate respectfully
• Develop self esteem

It’s hard to know that when your child is acting out, what he’s really saying is…I’m hurting. If you’re feeling at a loss as to how to help your child, a skilled child therapist can guide you in the right direction and help your family regain a sense of control and connection. Give us a call at (630) 269-2886 to learn more.