How Do I Know if my Child Needs to See a Psychologist?
As children grow and move through different ages and stages, it can be difficult to know if what your child is experiencing is part of their normal development or whether it is something more serious. Periods of moodiness, worry or academic difficulties can be part of normal development or in response to a specific event and can sometimes be resolved without professional intervention. Sometimes, these difficulties can persist and grow in frequency and intensity. Some signs that may indicate your child may need to see a psychologist can be:
- A change in mood
- Irritability
- Increase in anxiety or excessive worry
- Difficulty sleeping and/or eating
- Feeling anxious when separated from you unusual themes in their conversation
- Showing difficulties in different areas of their life (e.g. home, school, friends and leisure activities)
- Feeling bad about themselves or is less confident
If you think what your child is experiencing may be more than just normal development or if your child has expressed concern, a consultation with a psychologist may be warranted to determine whether psychology intervention is needed. When you make a call to Cocoon Psychology, along with collecting information about the presenting difficulty, we will discuss whether our service is the best fit for your child. If it is, we will send you, via email our intake forms. Once we receive the completed forms, we will contact you to make an initial appointment. This initial appointment is with you and the psychologist, it does not include your child. This allows you and the psychologist to discuss your concerns freely and for the psychologist to collect detailed developmental history, background information, academic, social and emotional information as well as discuss the presenting problem in greater detail. Sessions with the psychologist and your child will commence following this appointment.
