Michelle Schneider, MS LMFT CMHS Family Counseling for Infants, Children, and Parents
What is Child Mental Health?
Child Mental Health is the mental health treatment of children 5-18 years old. Children often struggle to identify how their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors interact together, creating a situation where they express their emotions and thoughts through negative or challenging behaviors. Parents/Caregivers can experience great difficulty understanding their child's behaviors and can feel at a complete loss as to how to most effectively deal with it. This can, in turn, lead to a feeling of being disconnected from their child. Every parent is doing the best they can with what they know how to do. There are so many parenting "manuals" out there that it can be overwhelming to sort through. Counseling helps support children and their parents/caregivers to increase their ability to more accurately read their body's cues/behaviors, opening up a deeper form of communication. It also helps parents/caregivers to discover new ways to support their child's development, gain new parenting skills, and most of all create a secure attachment with their child.
Behaviors that may indicate a problem and could benefit from the participation in Mental Health Treatment:
*Excessive tantrums or acting out behavior
*Difficulty controlling emotions
*Aggressiveness to self/others
*Withdrawn or fearful of others
*Excessive worry or anxiety
*Sudden behavioral changes
*Regression in behaviors (ie babytalk)
*Excessive energy; difficulty following directions
*Communication delays
*Oppositional or defiant behavior or language
*Not making developmental gains
*Difficulty with bullying or being bullied
*Difficulty making friendships or maintaining friendships
*Difficulty or change in sleep habits or appetite
**Please note the above list in not a comprehensive one. If you have any further questions I am happy to do a free 15 minute consultation to determine if services would be appropriate for you and your child.