Counseling with Children

Counseling with Children

William D. Ward

COUN 501- B26

Liberty University

Introduction

Just like adults, particular children will gain from counseling. Therapy will assist the young ones in developing problem solving techniques and educate them on the need for seeking help. Therapists will assist children and their families in coping with stress or a number of emotions as well as behavior issues. A lot of children will require assistance in coping with stress brought about schooling, like in the case of assignments, test anxiety, bullies, and pressure from peers (Grubs, 2012). Other kids will require assistance for discussing their thoughts on family problems, especially when undergoing major transitions like divorce, moving to different cities, or major illnesses. Major life events, like the passing of a relative, a pal, abuses, traumatic experiences, or a parent going for military deployment, may stress the children so much that they create difficulties in behaviors, moods, sleep, appetites, academics and sociological functioning. Most frequently, it will be unclear as to the causes of sudden withdrawal, worries, stresses, sulkiness or even being tearful. The need to cope with difficult life events will, therefore, call for counseling.

Major themes relevant to counseling with children

As per the child counseling procedures, themes for kid's play in therapy do not seem to have major support in research literature. Themes will frequently be emerging through kid's play during counseling. The major themes surfacing in counseling procedures will relate to aggression/authority, family/nurturing or safety/security (Grubs, 2012). Children will be fluctuating through positive and negative feelings, using a nurturing voice as they feed and be protective of their dolls, or an aggressive voice as they immediately spank particular dolls. Play themes expressible through will-adjusted kids will be different from the ones for disturbed children.

The difference is based on the frequencies and intensities in play themes. The changing of intensities and frequencies in play themes for a troubled kid will be an indication of the changes happening within the child. Evidence exists of play themes correlating with a child's sex. Male children will play extra aggressively as compared to the female children. The female children will play a lot of nurturing, safety or control themes, as compared to the male children. Life stressing events, like the lack of attachments or fighting, will be brought down moderately with the theme's prevalence (Erdman & Lampe, 2008). The boys' disposition of having no feelings of attachment or getting into fights will have highly aggressive themes, but the girls with attachment issues will have a little bit less aggressive themes.

Aggression/Authority themes

During the counseling, the young ones will be engaging in aggressive play that will entail activeness, more energy, and heavy vehicle playing or getting verbal assertively. The child will be playing out aggression themes through play with plastic soldiers, pounding and mashing Play-Do, or the throwing of sand to the counselor and, in such cases, the counselor will allow them to go beyond set limits. Aggressive energy events for the kids, like smashing clay and pounding on drums, have been designed for children to utilize their energy that will be necessary in taking action and expressing suppressed emotions (Erdman & Lampe, 2008). For the power plays, focus will be on the authority and control in the absence of the aggressive component. For instance, a child will consider his car to be very fast, being the only one to go up a 'mountain' in the sandbox.

Family themes

The young ones will be acting family themes in a variety styles through the use of their dolls, puppets and fantasy characters in a verbal exchange with the counselor. Artifacts and crafting will also be employed. Children will position and utilize human characters with toy figures on sand trays to illustrate their family's experiences and explain difficulties. The events that have been occurring within the household will be significant when the children carry out their playing as the counseling session progresses (Cockle, 2008). In most cases, it will be the interaction of the mother and the father that will be the major determinant in the various events that the child reacts to. Their latest experiences will dominate the training session and their manifestation will be determined through a repeat of the actual events.

Different dolls will be used to represent different family members and the process of their designated characters' behaviors will be through the interaction of the toys. The various stages of the socializing process will be represented through play-acting and will be an indication of the real life occurrences within the households. The varying aspects within the human behavioral patterns will be illustrated during the counseling sessions which will be useful in determining the right procedural aspects of the counseling process. The use of family themes is a key element in explaining the role that the family plays in a child's socializing process (Cockle, 2008). The family is, therefore, the basic unit of the socializing process and will be helpful in providing assistance to the counseling of children.

Nurturing themes

The kids will be expressing nurturing themes through hugs, by caring for dolls, or in the serving of play food to their counselors. The kids will be allowed self-nurturing activities during the counseling, such as through the touching of a blanket or thumb-sucking. Family themes will comprise of regressive play through the application of baby talk and their asking of the counselors to carry out tasks that they can do themselves. The process of developing the young ones into responsible adults with the right behavioral patterns are the major determinants in the manner by which the counseling sessions will be productive (Carbon, 2009). The affection that is given to the young ones back at home will be displayed through the counseling sessions. It will be necessary for the counselor to consider adjusting the session so that they can comply with the particular needs of the young ones. Most of the complications that make the young ones to be in need of therapy originate from the way they have been or are being brought up. The idea of understanding their