Parenting and Behavioral Challenges

No one ever said parenting was easy, and no two children are alike.  Today’s children are faced with an ever-increasing amount of distraction, pressure and temptation.  With a focus on positive discipline techniques, and proven strategies, a therapist can help you prioritize and structure your parenting approach to increase healthy communication, improve behavior and create more harmony in your home. 

Counseling for Children

Sometimes it is the children in a family demonstrating stress, depression or behavior problems who can benefit most from counseling.  We use a relationship based approach in therapy with children, which utilizes activities, play and discussion, to work to increase  self esteem, ability to communicate feelings and to help change behavior. Whenever possible, parents are encouraged to participate and work with the therapist in finding and encouraging solutions for their child.  Valley Springs Counseling provides individual counseling to children age 7 and older. 

Co-Parenting after Divorce

Hurt feelings, divided loyalties and behavior issues for children are common following divorce.  Children are often caught in the middle when parents don’t get along, and may even learn to play one parent against the other.  Parents caught up in disagreements over money, schedules, or expectations of the child, may lose focus regarding what is most important.  Co-parenting sessions with a therapist can help to positively refocus energies, prioritize goals for each child and create a parenting plan both can abide by, thus reducing negativity and stress provoking arguments.