Child Stress and Trauma Family Therapy

Child Stress and Trauma

Children today are exposed to much more trauma than we were twenty or thirty years ago, and that's why child trauma counselling is such an important tool to help them cope. Once off events, such as sexual abuse, domestic violence, bullying, life-threatening illnesses, natural disasters, or war can leave a child scarred for life.

Long-term exposure to poverty, verbal abuse or milder types of abuse are traumatic too, in fact that can be as devastating to a child as a single catastrophic event.

As with adults, every child has a different way of dealing with similar circumstances or events. Not every person who experiences the same event will become traumatized, but exposure to trauma can result in a variety of symptoms including nightmares, bedwetting, anxiety, depression, disdain for authority, poor grades, moodswings, substance abuse, and self-harm.

Both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and a range of other therapies can be helpful in treating children who have been exposed to short term trauma. Therapists will usually work with the child on a one-on-one basis to help the child restructure negative thought patterns and self esteem (in the case of abuse, etc.) before calling in the family for family counselling. Family counselling is a great way for the family to find common ground, build problem-solving skills and to help the parents to re-establish themselves as the authority figures in the home.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist with specialized traing in trauma counselling for children you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Family Therapy, Motivational Interviewing

Family Therapy is different from family systems counselling in that it focuses on relationships within the immediate family unit. It can be used as a supplement to other forms of therapy, or it can be the primary treatment plan.

Family therapy sees the unit as a whole, rather than a group of individual member, and this approach can be used to meet a range of of therapeutic outcomes. Instead of focusing on a single family member, family therapy counsellors see individual and relationship problems as the result of issues within the family dynamics. The therapist will identify issues in the patterns that contribute to problems. He or she will then help the clients to work on verbal and nonverbal communication styles to help shift patterns and bring about positive change.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Family Therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Motivational Interviewing is a short term treatment approach, which is specifically aimed at strengthening the client's commitment for, and motivation to change. This approach is widely recognized and is used in a number of applications, including substance abuse, rehabilitation, social work, criminal justice, schools, coaching and in health promotion.

During a Motivational Interviewing session, the therapist will make sure that the client feels understood and supported. The therapist will also assure the client that his or her emotions are normal and expected, in anticipation of the great changes ahead. The key to Motivational Interviewing is to juxtapose the client's goals and behaviours that may stand in the way of success. Motivational Interviewing  can help a client recognize behavioural issues that are not conducive to success.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Motivational Interviewing, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Note: You may narrow your search by selecting more than one filter below.

Saeid Poursaeid

M.A., RCC
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor and a certified EMDR therapist with the British Columbia School of Professional Psychology. My cultural background affords me a unique insight into immigrants and second-generation... Read more