Did you know that, according to research conducted in 2015, around half of all mental health issues start by age 14?
That’s why early intervention is so important.
And it’s why our main focus is on helping kids develop the practical skills they need to tackle their daily challenges…
And most importantly, these skills are not “quick-fixes”.
Rather, they are “life skills” that remain relevant and beneficial through adolescence and adulthood.
Here are 9 ways our psychologists can help:
The prevalence of childhood anxiety has more than doubled in the last twenty years.
And while we all experience anxious feelings at times, certain children will suffer more greatly, with their anxieties interrupting the functioning of their daily lives.
This could mean that it affects their sleeping, their socialising, or their ability to concentrate at school.
We’ve discussed a number of techniques for dealing with childhood anxiety on the blog…
But a useful tool for very young kids dealing with anxiety can be introducing a ‘worry box’ into their daily routine.
Losing a loved one is a heartbreaking experience at any age.
And watching our children go through the process can make the experience even more devastating.
It’s a parent’s natural urge to want to shield their children from pain and sadness.
But this isn’t realistic — not during childhood, and not during adulthood.
Loss and sadness are inevitable parts of life, but teaching your children positive and productive coping mechanisms will help them through the process in the short and long term.
So how do we deal with a grieving child?
An interesting article in The Age recently brought up concerns regarding parents who may be unnecessarily anxious about their children’s health.
The article cited a recent survey that showed that 75 per cent of pediatric specialists said many of their referrals could have been handled exclusively by the referring GP.
The relevant issue at hand here is that parents are increasingly seeking out specialist support for normal issues in childhood development…
Common issues such as bed-wetting, constipation, and even concerns about their children’s height.
This speaks to an increasing anxiety among parents, and their quest to ensure their child is developing ‘normally’.
Understandably, this kind of pattern of anxious parenting comes up not only in the physical development of the child, but also their emotional and psychological development.
So how can we know when we’re self- or over-diagnosing our children?
Thursday of last week was national “R U OK?” day — a day when we are inspired to meaningfully connect with the people around us who may be struggling.
“R U OK?” aims to support people suffering from mental health issues such as depression and anxiety by increasing awareness, encouraging friends and family to reach out, and teaching ways to help and support those around us.
45% of Australians will experience some form of mental illness in their lifetime, and one in seven will experience depression.
And while “R U OK?” has an emphasis on suicide prevention, it does bring up the important issue of being aware and open about mental health issues with those around us, and to take away the stigma from these increasingly common challenges.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the warning signs of depression in young people.
Got any questions before you book? Click here to request a phone call and a psychologist will call you at a convenient time (prospective clients only). Please keep in mind we are often busy with clients but we do our best to respond to all enquiries within one business day. :-)
(*As of 24th July, 2019.)