Counseling for Children
at Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids
Diagnosing children with a mental health problem can be a challenge. Most children do not qualify for a serious diagnosis, and most parents would not want to put their children on medications. That is why it is vitally important for parents to get multiple opinions on the emotional, mental, and physical health of their children. Often, a combination of family counseling and counseling for children can have enormous changes in a child’s behavior, ability to focus, emotional issues, and more.
Children & Mental Health Diagnosis
Brain Development & Trauma Prevention
Often times, a child may have an event happen to them that most would not consider “traumatic,” but to the child, this event may be extremely disturbing. The effects of these events often come out in their behavior and emotional outbursts. In these situations, trauma-informed counseling along with family therapy may be recommended.
Teens can benefit from counseling as a preventative measure to avoid future psychological issues. Especially at a stage of development when many teens reduce confiding in their parents, being able to talk to someone outside of their typical environment can create a safe place for them to talk about any issues that they may be facing. Any teen can benefit from talking with a counselor about issues like peer pressure to drugs and alcohol, sexual pressure, academic stress, anger, depression, anxiety, bullying, self-esteem, eating disorders and more. Having your child engage in counseling may help them gain skills to cope with an increasingly competitive world and stay emotionally and physically healthy.
At Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, we have multiple therapists and counselors who are trained in working with children and teenagers as well as their parents. Some examples of why families seek to have their child or teen in counseling are:
- Problems at school
- Conflicts at home and with family
- Being bullied or bullying (school and online)
- Health problems
- Relationship and Social issues
- Behavioral problems
Therapists can help with feelings such as:
- Stress or worry/anxiety
- Self-esteem
- Grief
- Anger
- Sadness
- Resolving emotions following a traumatic incident
Our Counselors are licensed and can help with conditions such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- OCD
- Eating Disorders
- ADHD (Attention Deficient and Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Self-injury or self-harm
- Disruptive behavior disorders
- Trauma-related disorders
For Children
Melissa Wade
Strengths-Based, Solution Focused, and Resilience Therapies for Families, Children, Teens, and Individuals
Margie Muñoz
Trauma Informed Counseling, Mindfulness-Based, and EMDR Therapy for Children, Teens, and Adults