Children's Behavioral Problems
Phone calls from school, saying your child is in trouble again.
Sibling fights that don’t seem to stop.
Your child yelling defiantly at you, “NO, I WON’T!”
Having to watch your kid like a hawk on the playground.
Worrying about what your child will do next...
and how you should respond.
If any of those statements seemed to describe what you are experiencing as a parent, you are not alone. Behavior problems in kids are both common and frustrating. While some behavior problems are age-appropriate, if the behaviors are interfering with your child’s education, social relationships or ability to function in the world, it is worth talking to a professional about your concerns.
At Protea Wellness, we have solid training and theory behind our treatment of children’s behavior problems. We partner with you, the parent, to discover the cause of the behavior problem, help your child become better able to self-manage, and help you with setting rewards and consequences.
Step one will always be assessment. We will assess if your child’s behaviors are due to ADHD, anxiety, depression or another neurological condition. We are skilled at working with kids who are both on the autism spectrum and have multiple behavioral issues as well as with kids who have ADHD and are struggling with impulsive behaviors. We will help you form a team to support your child.
Step two is helping your child learn to manage their behaviors better. Depending on age and your child’s diagnosis, we might set up a plan for safety, make a coping skills box, or help your child recognize when their ‘anger volcano’ is about to erupt. We may use games or art to help kids access and use their skills.
Step three will be to support you, the parent. We will model ways to talk about concerning behaviors and coach you through tough conversations. We may have you attend without your child some sessions. We will make a plan for you to respond to your child’s behavior in structured and safe ways. We discuss when rewards and consequences are useful, when they are not and how to make sure any rewards and consequences you use are effective and worth the pain of enforcing them.
We draw on art, play, CBT, DBT and behavioral therapy principles to help you and your child have better and happier lives. We would love to talk to you about your concerns.