Child Behavioral Counseling in Scottsdale, AZ

As caring parents and guardians, we try our very best to raise kind, conscientious, respectful, and well-behaved children. Unfortunately, traumatic life experiences, disorders, or other stresses and influences can negatively impact our child’s behavior choices and alter the path we originally had planned for them.

The good news is, child behavioral counseling is a positive and effective way forward for both you and your child. In this article, we’ll discuss what child behavioral therapy is, how it works, and how Pathways Counseling Services can help your child work out his or her behavior issues in a healthy, productive, and respectful way.

What is Child Behavioral Therapy?

Child behavioral therapy is a type of children’s therapy designed to improve difficult or problematic behavior that stems from trauma, anxiety, emotional disorders, behavioral disorders, sensory disorders, or any other factor that may negatively influence a child’s behavior. Such behaviors may include (but are not limited to):

• Verbal or physical outbursts
• Inappropriate gestures or comments
• Persistent weeping
• Disregard for rules or authority
• Violent acts towards self or others

How Does Child Behavioral Therapy Work?

There are many different kinds of child behavioral therapy or other therapy methods that can be used to improve one’s behavior, as what works for one child may not be as effective for another. Here are just a few therapy options one could consider to help improve their child’s behavior.

Play Therapy – Children don’t always have the words to adequately express how they’re feeling inside, so often they act out to let some of that steam out. Play therapy gives children a safe space to act out their issues and simply be themselves in a supervised environment. While it’s helpful for the child to let their emotions out, it also helps therapists understand and analyze the child’s behavior to better understand the root causes of their outbursts, if any.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help children improve their behavior by showing them how to replace bad thoughts with happier or more productive ones. It can also teach them to how to act out their emotions in less destructive and healthier ways.

EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy method designed to help individuals build new adaptive strategies to process lingering trauma. Even for children without PTSD or other traumas, EMDR is still a successful therapy strategy that can help strengthen their ability to process the difficult emotions they are struggling with.

Does My Kid Need Child Behavioral Therapy?

If your child regularly exhibits problematic behavior in the home or has behavior issues in school, it might be a good idea to seek out a child therapist who specializes in child behavioral therapy. Even if your child doesn’t have a behavioral or emotional disorder, a therapist may be able to help improve your child’s behavioral as well as help you understand how you as a parent or guardian may be able to help.

Child Behavioral Therapy in Scottsdale, AZ

Pathways Counseling Services is a counseling practice based in Scottsdale, Arizona that provides child behavioral therapy and counseling services to infants, teenagers, and all ages in between. We understand how difficult it can be to grapple with your child’s behavior issues–especially when you’re not sure what you can do to help it. Our therapists can work directly with you and your child to work on improving their behavior and creating a happier and healthier home life together.

If you are local to the Scottsdale, Arizona area and are looking for a children’s therapist, please schedule an appointment here or call us at (480) 235-1682 to get in touch.