What Do Children/Parents Get Out of Seeing a Child Psychologist?
Many people who are aware I am a child psychologist ask me, “What are the sorts of difficulties that you see the most?” or “What are the reasons people decide to see a child psychologist?” It occurred to me that passing on the answers to these questions may help parents with the sometimes difficult decision-making process of seeking the help of a child psychologist.
Parents who have come to see me with their children have often come for help with their child’s:
- Sleep and night-time difficulties (for ex., sleep refusal, falling asleep, staying asleep, refusal for children to sleep on their own etc).
- Anxiety. This includes worries about death, separation, school, performance, health or safety, making mistakes, social situations or making friends.
- Excessive sadness. This may include depression or bereavement related to a loss.
- Bullying difficulties. This work would often include liaising with the school and resiliency work for the child.
- Self-esteem or confidence issues.
- Adjustment with difficult life events including parental separation or divorce.
- Behavioural problems. These difficulties may include: non-compliance, lying, frequent arguing and fighting.
- Family-related problems.
In addition, many parents contact a child psychologist for an assessment – the following are the most common assessments:
- Diagnostic
- IQ/Intelligence
- School readiness
- Learning difficulties
- Aspergers/Autism
- ADHD
- An assessment addressing a specific question/recommendation needed about a specific situation (for ex., possible change of school or family-related matter)
Obviously there are many reasons why a parent may seek the help of a child psychologist. Many of the questions parents present come with a complex family background as rarely is there a “one size fits all” answer for children or families. This makes the work both interesting and challenging. If the questions were that simple, parents would not need outside help!
If you are considering obtaining help from a child psychologist, the best thing you can do is speak to your local doctor or call around, try to speak to the psychologist if possible and get a feel for who seems to map on to what you are looking for, write down the main difficulties for which you would like help and arrive with a readiness for change! ESW
About the author
Dr. Elizabeth Seeley-Wait is a Clinical Psychologist specialising in child, adolescent and family matters. She is an active researcher and clinician with over 10 years of clinical experience. Dr. Seeley-Wait has trained at the University of Massachusetts, Harvard University and Yale University. She holds a Masters in Human Development (child focus) and a Masters and PhD in Clinical Psychology. She is the founder of The Children’s Psychology Clinic (www.thechildrenspsychologyclinic.com.au) and Northern Sydney Psychology Clinic (www.northernsydneypsychology.com.au) both located in Sydney, Australia.
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