Any number of issues can bring children and teens into psychotherapy including depression, mood swings, fears, anxiety, temper tantrums, aggressiveness, academic problems, inattentiveness, eating problems, family discord, trauma, and sometimes substance abuse.
Working with children and teens always involves meeting family members to begin to create a detailed understanding of the context and origin of the problems, as well as to understand the strengths and assets of the youth. As with adults, conducting a comprehensive clinical assessment is essential prior to constructing a treatment plan so that the most effective approach can be employed.
Depending on age, psychotherapy with youth may employ exploratory dialogue, role-playing, learning new behaviors, family consultation, expressive arts, and/or therapeutic play.