When to Seek Psychological Support?

Parenting is a very special, beautiful journey, which nevertheless has its ups, downs and unexpected turns. There are times when parents feel concerned about specific aspects of their child’s functioning, whether it is the child’s behaviour, emotional wellbeing, learning or developmental progress. Being closely attuned to the child’s needs, parents are often the first to detect that their child may be struggling and needs additional support. While many issues can be addressed without seeking external assistance, there are times when professional involvement may bring the much-needed support and relief to the entire family. This is where a Clinical Psychologist, specialising in child and adolescent development, can help.

Clinical Psychologists undergo extensive training in order to address a variety of psychological and psychiatric conditions, ranging from mild or transient to the more severe and chronic issues. Importantly, Clinical Psychologists rely on the most up-to-date scientific knowledge in their field and work with adherence to the best practice guidelines in order to achieve the optimal outcomes. 

Appreciating the uniqueness of every individual, it is essential to develop a deep understanding of the child, including how they perceive the world, which difficulties their encounter on a daily basis, what influences their positive and negative emotions, and where do they seek comfort and support. In turn, this information sheds light as to WHY the child may be experiencing certain difficulties. This describes the assessment phase, which may continue for several sessions in order to gain a precise and in-depth picture of the child’s functioning within various contexts, and may include different sources of information such as parent and teacher/kindergarten staff interviews, observations of the child, formal diagnostic assessment tools and projective/play-based tests.

Once these pieces of puzzle are in place, we can think about specific ways to address the problem and support the child in a variety of settings. This is the treatment phase, which may be brief or ongoing, depending on the individual circumstances and commonly involves both the child and the parents (depending on the child’s age). The goal of treatment phase is to use the newly-gained knowledge of the child’s functioning in a variety of areas in order to overcome challenges, develop new skills and resources, support the current weaknesses experienced, and, most importantly, to help the child reach their uttermost potential, considering their unique individuality.