Child Therapy
A parent’s concern is often the first sign that a child needs some extra support. Children have a limited range of emotional expression, which also interferes with their ability to describe what they think and feel accurately. If you believe your child is acting out of character, there’s likely a more profound reason they are just unable to put their concerns into words. It may also indicate that it’s time to seek out the support of a therapist experienced in working with children.
Children also have many emotional or psychological challenges throughout their lives. They are in an almost constant state of change, particularly as they experience changes in their bodies, confront emotions they don’t know how to handle, or are challenged by new experiences that they are unfamiliar with. When they are experiencing intense emotions, things can sometimes come out a little ‘sideways’. When we think of sadness or depression, most of us have a pretty clear idea about what that should look like. Children often express sadness, anxiety, fear, grief or depression as anger or frustration. This can be very confusing to parents as they navigate their child’s growth.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for many mental health disorders and can be helpful for children as young as six. Because of considerations like age and maturity levels, CBT for children and teens needs to be tailored to meet their needs. Most of the time, CBT is a short-term treatment and lasts 3-12 months. Incorporating arts and crafts, dolls and puppets, or role-playing with CBT, we help children address problems and work out solutions. This can also help keep younger children engaged. Other beneficial forms of therapy are based on our Social Sense program.
Social Sense Program
We know that the key to a person’s success in life is critically impacted by his or her social skills, even more so than by academic intelligence, according to a Harvard Graduate School of Education Study, 1998.
With this in mind, we designed our Social SenseTM Program. The sessions are meant to be fun and informative, utilizing a variety of videos, role-plays, games and exercises to teach and reinforce concepts. This multi-modal approach helps children apply the information and concepts outside of the sessions.
The Social Sense™ Program has four “Social Missions.”
- Friendship formation and maintenance
- Conflict resolution
- Collaboration and team work
- Self marketing – ability to maintain a good public image and “sell yourself” to others appropriately
The Social Sense™ Program is especially appropriate for children with Learning Disabilities. Specially trained and specialist social therapists conduct these programs in order to help children live a confident life ahead.
Our Social Therapies Help:
Children with impairment experience various social challenges, such as social anxiety, relationship problems, depression, or attention deficit if not treated at an early age. Anxiety, panic, shyness, or emotional pain can be replaced with emotional growth through learning new ways of perceiving, thinking, and interacting. The effect of our social anxiety therapy is empowering. Often, pain is recognized and released. The child develops new ways to respond to people, situations, and moments.
How to improve social skills for kids with a disability?
Kids with disability are special and face a range of more learning, physical, behavioral, and communication challenges as a comparison to other kids. These challenges can make it hard to make friends and interact socially.
Healthy Social interactions and Friendships help children and young people develop new skills. The more a child practices these skills and gains acceptance from peers, the more their confidence grows.
Here are some practical ways you can help develop the social skills of the child or young person in your care, keeping in mind their age and developmental capacity:
- Encourage them to use basic greetings when they meet others.
- Spent time with them, help them learn how to play in teams, and practice things such as sharing toys and taking turns to model the kind of social behavior you want to encourage, for example, listening and responding to others, using appropriate body language, starting a conversation, sharing information, and dealing positively with conflict.
- When other kids are around, plan activities you know the child or young person can do confidently
- Praise them when they do something good, for example, greet others, share toys, etc.
- notice if they’re getting tired or overwhelmed and help them manage their feelings
- Never force them to interact if they want to be alone
Get in touch with our team to register your kids for Social Sense programs
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Social Sense:
Social therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on the social aspects of individuals’ lives. It helps individuals improve their social skills, build healthier relationships, and better navigate social situations. It can be particularly helpful for individuals with social anxiety, autism, or other conditions that affect social interactions.
An example of social therapy might be a group therapy session where individuals practice social skills with each other under the guidance of a therapist. The therapist might facilitate role-playing exercises, group discussions, or other activities to help individuals improve their social interactions.
Improving social skills often involves practice and learning. This can involve learning about social cues and norms, practicing communication and conversation skills, and receiving feedback and guidance from a therapist or coach. It can also involve exposure to social situations in a safe and supportive environment.
Social skills can generally be categorized into two types: interpersonal skills and communication skills. Interpersonal skills involve the ability to interact positively with others,such as showing empathy, managing conflicts, and cooperating with others. Communication skills involve the ability to effectively convey and receive information, such as listening actively, expressing oneself clearly, and understanding non-verbal cues.
