We cannot stress this enough; therapy is an investment in your child’s overall health and well-being. Our mental health is what drives us, maintaining a good mental health will lead your child/teen into a better mindset and give them the ability to make better decisions for a lifetime. Think of therapy as a pair of new glasses with the correct prescription in them, when you put them on everything is clearer. Therapy will take longer than getting a new pair of glasses, but the end result can be the same. Counseling does require a commitment, both on your part and your child/teens part.
Therapy may improve a person’s physical health. Research shows processing traumatic experiences can improve a person’s immune functioning. For people who have received a mental health diagnosis, engaging in therapy reduces their overall future medical costs by about 17%. People who do not receive treatment can expect to see their overall medical costs increase by about 12% over time.
Our children may think that a couple of sessions have helped them, and they are good, however it is important to follow their treatment plan. Course corrections do not happen overnight. Therapy is working to help them with their lifestyle, we are working to help your child/teen get their mental health to a good place and give them the life tools to be successful. It is important to encourage your child to take the necessary steps to follow the plan that has been worked out with their counselor.
You may see some immediate results, however if you have to stop treatment the symptoms may come back worse than before. This is similar to taking antibiotics when you sick. You start to feel better after 2 or 3 days, but if you don’t take the full treatment as prescribed then you relapse and may be in a worse place than you were before.
If the investment of counseling is becoming a stressor, look to see what can be done in other areas, especially if you can do them as a family. Do you have a gym membership? Maybe look for yoga videos on YouTube and do them as a family, this will help on several levels, it will connect you more as a family, it will help reduce stress and keep your family on a healthy journey.
It is important to work with the natural support system that you have in your life, work closely with your school and religious organizations. There are apps for health and self-help books that are available on a variety of topics. If your child is struggling encourage them to ask for help, is it is a homework problem or learning to tie their shoes, studying for their driving test, whatever it is, encourage them to ask you, their other parent, a sibling, teach, friend, whoever they think can help them accomplish that task. By consistently encouraging them to seek help, hopefully they will learn who their support structure is and go to them for help, no matter what help they need.
It is important to monitor your children/teen to ensure they are doing what they need to do based on the program that has been worked out with their counselor, encourage them to stick to what is helping their mental health. Their future depends on them implementing and sticking with their therapy regimen. If you have questions, we are here to help answer them, give us a call and we will help you work through whatever need arises. At CPC, we specialize in working with children/teens, and work collaboratively with the family to support each child.
