For Kids, Tweens and Teens
Does your child:
- Engage in power struggles?
- Refuse to take responsibility for their behaviors?
- Dealing with the aftermath of divorce or loss of a family member?
- Have problems relating to adults or other kids?
- Worry excessively?
- Seem sad or depressed?
- Been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD pr Asperger’s Syndrome?
Child and Teen Counseling Can Help
You can reverse these problems. At the Relationship Center of Michigan, we can help your child or teenager build stronger relationships with friends, to become more confident and improve their work in school, be become less anxious and to become happier with their lives. We do this through Child Counseling, Teen Counseling, the Success for Life program for children and teens, and Parent Coaching and Counseling.
Rather than telling you what’s on their minds, kids do things that indicate that they are having difficulties. Kids and, often, teens are simply not always able to put into words what is bothering them. As a parent you may see disobedience, poor judgment, anger, extreme shyness or withdrawal, frequent stomach aches or head aches, missing school, or drop in school performance.
Trust is Essential in Child and Teen Counseling
In Child Counseling and Teen Counseling, we take the time to build trust. Our trained therapists use conversation and play to build trust, identify issues and help the child solve the problem, in as few sessions as possible. The time it takes to accomplish this is different with every child.
The same is true for teens. Building trust can take longer because many adolescents are suspicious of all adults. They will not open up if they feel that mom or dad is going to find out all their secrets. Adolescent usually have lots of opinions about the world and few people who are willing to listen to them without judging them.
Parents are always given periodic updates. You maybe asked to attend sessions, as well. We have found that parental involvement in the treatment often guarantees success.
Success For Life Child & Teen Counseling Groups
Success for Life is designed to help children and teens develop the skills to succeed in life. Studies clearly show that the absence of these skills can lead to failed relationships, the inability to keep a job, rejection, and depression. Yet these skills can be successfully taught to your child, in our Success for Life program.
Groups of no more than 10 participants of similar age meet for 80 minutes a week for about six weeks. Each group is taught by either one of our licensed therapist or an educator.
These groups are particularly helpful for children or teens diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, Asperger’s syndrome and some kinds of Autism. These children often do not recognize social cues nor the affect they have on other kids. But these skills can be learned.
The program has a number of modules designed to help small groups of children learn and practice these skills. The modules include:
- Fostering Friendships
- Increasing Self-Confidence
- Anger Management and Conflict Resolution
- Bullying or Bullies
For more information, please click here to read the program flier.
We also offer Parent Counseling or Parent Coaching. Parenting is tough and sometimes stressful. We can help your child by helping you. You can focus on a number of goals, depending on your needs. If you and your mate are not in agreement about how to raise your children, discipline becomes much more difficult to achieve. We can help you create that agreement.
Sometimes parents are not sure how to react to a child or how to deal with a problem. Our counselors are trained to help you respond in a positive and helpful way. The goal is to make you an effective and competent parent. It is often stressful to parent a strong-willed or special needs child.
Sometimes a parent will take a negative attitude toward their child. One might be more irritable and impatient with a child. This only causes more problems, because the child will then react unhelpfully. We can help you to reduce your stress and help you respond effectively to your child or teen. We help make you a better parent.
We first have a meeting with you and your child. We do this to get to know your child and to gather information about the problems. Then teens and children may be seen separately, with their parents, or with the entire family, as necessary. In cases where the teenager or child is seen separately, periodic updates are given to the parents. Your child will have a non-judgmental adult to talk about any problems. They will be treated with respect. They will be asked to be honest and real with themselves and with the therapist.
If you are a teen, you might ask: How can a therapist help me? They can:
- Help you understand your problems or why others think you have problems.
- Help you figure out what you want from life and how to get it.
- Work with your parents, teachers or others to understand where you are coming from.
- Help you understand why your parents or others are so worried or upset.
What is important to keep in mind about therapy?
- You can figure out how you will solve your problems.
- There is no blaming.
- Coming to therapy doesn’t mean that you are broken or ill.
- Your conversation is held in confidence.
Our staff are licensed in the State of Michigan and have training in working with kids and teens. Unlike some counselors, we do not tell you what is wrong with you or tell you what or how to think. We are interested in you and want to know what you have to say.
