Pediatric Therapy Negatives

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As the Beatles famously sang, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” But what happens when you aren’t emotionally mature enough to discern your friends from your enemies and realistic versus unrealistic expectations? Many adults in the United States meet with a therapist, counselor, psychiatrist or psychologist at some regular frequency, yet there is still a strong stigma attached to a child that requires the same. During the period of their life when they are the most vulnerable, malleable and constantly seeking validation, we, as a society, must understand that it’s not realistic to expect children to be able to handle everything that life throws at them all of the time. Pediatric therapy has extremely positive effects on children, …show more content…
Therapy can provide a safe space for kids to talk freely about any and everything. Following a session one weekend, my daughter and I drove back home and she said to me, “do you know why I like going to therapy? Because I can tell her anything and she never cares. She still likes me.” That statement, from my six-year-old daughter, categorically resonated with me. As much as I tried to convey to her that she could tell me anything, she knew that there are still times when I would become upset or angry, like when she is explaining to me why her room is still not clean or giving me the reason that she “had to” hit her brother. Therapists are able to connect with children in ways that parents cannot, because they are totally impartial. It doesn’t matter to the therapist if a child has been well behaved that day. It doesn’t matter if the child’s room is clean. It doesn’t matter how tough a week the child had; they are going to work through it together with no fighting, tears or raised voices. Regardless of how much a parent believes that they are their child’s biggest fan, they must understand that everyone deserves a safe space where they can learn to be the best version of themselves. This is taught over and over in therapy with tools for reaffirming those lessons at