When is it time to seek psychological help for my child?

Some life events may cause changes in your child's functioning as part of an adjustment process. Things like: parents' divorce, changing schools, or the birth of a sibling can affect a child emotionally and behaviorally. 

Behavior problems

If your child's behavior is causing chronic problems at daycare/school or is seriously affecting your family life, it is important to get help. Disruptive, explosive, or dangerous behaviors can be caused by, among other things, anxiety, trauma, and frustration due to an undiagnosed learning disability.

Once you know what is causing your child's behavior, there are therapies that are often effective in teaching children to control their behavior. When a child cannot have behaviors that can be managed by parents or teachers, it means that they need help. This can affect the health and well-being of the entire family.

Emotional problems

If a child seems unusually anxious, sad or irritable for a long period of time and this interferes with their ability to do things typical of children their age, it is advisable to seek help. A child who is severely anxious or depressed not only suffers, but misses out on important parts of childhood. It is important to help him early, before his social and academic development lags behind that of his peers.

Standby active

If you decide to wait to seek help, stay alert and be prepared to act if the problem doesn't improve. Monitoring your child's behavior can help you gather valuable information. What you shouldn't do is ignore the problem. Don't convince yourself that "something" is "nothing".

Talk to your partner

Deciding to seek help for your child can be complicated when both parents disagree on whether it is a "problem". It is common for parents to have different opinions about their child's behavior and what kind of response might help. This is a major reason why families wait to seek advice or help.  

We seek psychological help for the child when we understand that the strategies we have tried in solving the problem have not worked and we need professional help from a psychologist/psychotherapist specialized in child development.