Does My Child Need Counseling?
WHAT YOUR CHILD'S BEHAVIOR IS TELLING YOU
A major indication therapy can help is if you see a significant change in behavior that impacts their daily functioning. This may be seen as a change in behavior at school or at home, peer relationships, regression in development, or poor emotional regulation. Basically, give us a call if you are asking yourself, "where did my kid go?" In these videos, Erica unpacks what dperession and anxiety look like in children, how it is different than adults, and how you can support your child.
PLAY THERAPY
BEHAVIOR AND EMOTIONAL REGULATION
Play Therapy is a proven model of counseling for children to help them communicate and process feelings using a child's natural language. Our Therapists at Johns Creek & Alpharetta Counseling have extensive training to practice play therapy and are working toward earning their RPT (Registered Play Therapist) or has obtained the credential of RPT. Just as a pediatrician must have additional medical training to work with children, a counselor needs extensive training and supervision to provide play therapy to children. In searching for a therapist for your child, please ask what training they have received to work with children. Not all counselors have received formal training to work with children. See below to learn more about play therapy and how it can help you and your child! We also work with pre-teens and adolescents, to learn more about adolescent counseling, click here!
PLAY THERAPY ADDRESSES:
• Family Conflict
• Worry Thoughts
• Obsessive Behaviors
• Sibling Conflict
• ADHD
• Autism
• RAD - Reactive Attachment Disorder
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Isolation
• Poor School Performance
• Bullying
• Nightmares
• Acting Out
• Poor Emotional Regulation
PLAY THERAPY CAN HELP SITUATIONS SUCH AS:
• Adoption
• Major Life Changes
• Death of Family/Friends
• Trauma/Abuse
WHAT IS PLAY THERAPY?
Play Therapy is a researched and proven model of therapy for children. It is an approach to therapy that builds on the normal communicative and learning processes of children; play. Therapists strategically utilize play therapy to help children express what is troubling them when they do not have the verbal language to express their thoughts and feelings (Gil, 1991). In play therapy, toys are like the child’s words, and play is the child’s language (Landreth, 2002). Through play, therapists may help children learn more adaptive behaviors when there are emotional or social skills deficits (Pedro-Carroll & Reddy, 2005). The positive relationship that develops between therapist and child during play therapy sessions provides a corrective emotional experience necessary for healing (Moustakas, 1997). If your child needs counseling, Play Therapy is the most proven model to counsel your child. Play Therapy is most commonly used with children. However, art and some play therapy techniques can be used with adolescents and adults. Emotions are hard to talk about, and at times are hard to access; art therapy and sand-tray therapy can help to access the emotion that words cannot reach. These therapeutic approaches can be added to individual, couple, or family therapy. Please ask about it when you call!
PARENT'S ROLE IN PLAY THERAPY
We value the role parents have in their children’s lives and maintain a close working relationship during the therapy process. We combine play therapy for children with support sessions for parents which focus on giving emotional support, tools for discipline, effective boundary setting, and assist to increase the parent's understanding of a child’s emotional needs. The last form of communication a child learns is verbal communication. Play therapy helps children communicate when they cannot find the words. We can help parents learn how to communicate by teaching play therapy techniques and helping parents understand what nonverbal messages children hear from you. Lastly, we create a team with school counselors, pediatricians, and psychiatrists collaboratively to meet the need of your child. We go to the school to meet with teachers and the school counselor to set the child up for success.
Our Counselors at Johns Creek and Alpharetta Counseling provide parental support sessions, psychoeducational sessions, counseling for parents, and collaborative divorce parenting sessions. We value the role parents have in their children’s lives and maintain a close working relationship during the therapy process. Our therapists provide ongoing support for parents by offering an understanding of their child's behavior in addition to addressing the parent's personal needs for self care. We provide education for parents which focus on giving tools for discipline, effective boundary setting, and assist to increase the parent's understanding of a child’s emotional needs. We offer two effective therapy models of working with parents and children in the session together, and we can see parents to teach parenting skills.
If you have any questions call our intake line 404-834-2363
HOMESCHOOLED CHILDREN
COUNSELING FOR HOMESCHOOLED CHILDREN
Whether children go to public school, private school, or are home schooled, they can struggle with anxiety, depression, loss, and trauma. Children who are schooled at home face their own unique challenges. The Counselors at Johns Creek and Alpharetta Counseling can help children with social skills, emotional regulation, home/school boundaries, and parental respect. We offer counseling groups and individual play therapy to homeschooled children.
Parents of homeschooled children serve two roles of parent and teacher. This can be challenging when their child struggles with discipline or respect. Our Counselors can balance nurture and discipline and maintain healthy school boundaries. Also, we can help you find space for your own self care. When you call the intake line, let us know you are a homeschooled family so we can set you up with the best therapist to help!
MEDICATION
DOES MY CHILD NEED TO BE ON MEDICATION?
It is common to get the recommendation for medication if you child is diagnosed with ADHD, poor emotional regulation, or anxiety. Only a doctor can determine if medication is appropriate. Many parents have concerns about giving their child with a young growing brain, medication that will impact the brain. At JCAC, prior to recommending an assessment by a psychiatrist for medication we will offer services such as play therapy, neuro biofeedback, diet recommendations, and parenting techniques to create change. We recommend medication only as a last result to manage your child's behavior. Neuro-Biofeedback can serve as a medication replacement to help natural brain function when therapy is not enough.
TUTORING SERVICES
MAKING LEARNING FUN AGAIN
JCAC is proud to partner with Teachers As Tutors (formerly K8 Tutoring) to offer tutoring services in the same Alpharetta Office from certified teachers with many years experience teaching Regular and/or Special Education from grades K-12. All services are personalized to meet each child's needs. Tutoring services include after school tutoring, home school assistance, summer preparation programs, and IEP advocacy. We offer the traditional tutoring services and we go beyond homework help: We can teach your child how to learn! We assess your child's style of learning, and can talk to your child's teachers to collaborate your child's best learning style. We teach classroom skills, concentration skills, organization skills, and discouragement resiliency.
IEP Advocacy: Teachers as Tutors strongly believes that children should be set up to succeed in their school setting. The teachers with Teachers as Tutors all have experience working in the public school system, writing IEPs, and reading psychological reports. They can help you understand the report, identify the support your child needs, and assist you in the IEP meeting to advocate for your child. Because Teachers as Tutors believes strongly in this, they are committed to keeping the cost reasonable. Our teachers can assist your child to meet their IEP goals, and we can assist your child's teacher in establishing those goals.
What we are not: We are not college or high school aged that offer help with getting homework completed.
What we are: We are certified special education teachers with many years of classroom experience and experience reading psych reports, writing IEPs, and implementing IEPs. Please call us to see how we can help you!
Tutoring services can help:
• Children who have an IEP
• Test Anxiety
• ADHD & Organization
• Learning Disability
• Cognitive Deficits
• Developmental Disabilities
• Homeschooled Support, Homeschooled Children
• Regular Education Children in all subjects
