Three Reasons To Arrange Group Therapy For Your Child
Although most people think of therapy for children as taking place on a one-on-one basis, it's important to know that group therapy is also available for children. If you feel as though your son or daughter could benefit from counseling for any reason, it may be worthwhile to evaluate whether you feel that group therapy might be a good fit. The best thing to do is to find a therapist in your area who not only focuses his or her practice on children, but also offers group sessions, and then ask some questions about how this type of session may benefit your child. Here are three reasons that group therapy can be a good choice.
Your Child Won't Feel Alone
When your child attends counseling, he or she may have a feeling that there's something wrong with him or her. For example, the child may have a thought such as, "None of my friends go to therapy — what's my problem?" Of course, there's nothing "wrong" with a child who attends counseling, and it's likely that some of his or her friends are going, too, but just not sharing this news. When your child is in a group setting, he or she will see that other children are facing similar issues, and may not feel as alone.
A Chance To Learn Through Others
There's no doubt that one-on-one counseling can be valuable for your child to deal with whatever issue he or she is facing, but therapy in a group environment can also be a good learning opportunity. The focus will be on your child only a part of the time. At other times, other children will be speaking to the counselor, and this can provide a learning opportunity for your child. For example, he or she might hear about a situation that another child is facing, but that sounds familiar, and be able to implement some strategies that the therapist offers to the other child.
An Opportunity For More Support
While your child will get a lot of support from the adult leading the sessions, don't overlook the amount of support that the other children will provide. Children in a group therapy environment can quickly bond, which means that if your child is upset about something, a friendly smile or some assuring words from another child can be valuable for your child. Being in a room in which the support comes from several different angles can make a group therapy session appealing for your child.
For more information, consult with group therapy services like Andrea Brandt Therapy.