Christian Counseling for Children

Avoidance Anxiety in Children: When a Child’s Resistance Isn’t Just a Phase

, 2026-03-17T06:10:14+00:00March 17th, 2026|Anxiety, Christian Counseling for Children, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling|

If you are the parent of a young child, you’ve probably seen resistance before. Perhaps they’ve started to become reluctant to go to school. With some questions, you learn that it’s not only school that makes them upset. There are changes in the things they enjoy, or you notice things you thought they’d outgrow. Maybe your child refuses to go to a birthday party, has a meltdown before swimming lessons, or suddenly forgets how to do a simple chore they’ve done a hundred times. Your nighttime routine that was working so well isn’t anymore. It is becoming harder and harder for your child to do anything without you by their side. At first, you may brush this off as a bad mood, tantrums, or stubbornness. But if it happens more than a few times, it could be something more. Sometimes, when a child says no to things or avoids something repeatedly, it may be more than them just being stubborn. It could be avoidance anxiety, a type of anxiety when a child feels nervous or unsure about something and tries to stay away from it altogether. Avoiding something might help them feel better in the moment, but it usually makes their worry grow stronger later. This kind of anxiety is harder for parents to understand because it may or may not involve tears or big outbursts. The child simply seems defiant, needy, or unmotivated. Still, it is always worth paying attention to, because the earlier you notice it, the easier it is to help. What is avoidance anxiety in children, and why does it happen? Avoidance anxiety is a way children try to protect themselves. When something feels too scary, confusing or hard, they look for ways to escape and avoid. That could mean pretending to be sick, refusing [...]

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How Can Anger Management in Children Be Helped With Counseling?

, 2026-01-13T06:42:37+00:00January 13th, 2026|Anger Issues, Christian Counseling for Children, Featured, Individual Counseling|

What are your evenings at home characterized by? Are you exhausted from the anticipation of your child having another bad day at school? Have you tried positive reinforcement, pep talks, consequences, and times out with no luck? Do explosive emotions, angry outbursts, meltdowns, meanness, tantrums, and aggressive behavior characterize the life of your child? The Need for Anger Management in Children These scenarios might lead parents to seek out the help of a counselor for their child and family. Honestly, even as adults, anger can sometimes get the best of us. Anger can quickly overwhelm us and cause destructive patterns of emotional response. The interesting thing about anger is that it is often a secondary emotion, meaning that there are likely other primary feelings that are hiding underneath the display of anger that need to be identified to bring change to the cycle of negative emotions and behavior. Counseling for anger management and other destructive emotional behavior patterns in children will often begin with psychoeducation. Simply put, initial counseling sessions are used to educate the client about a wide array of emotions. For children, this must be done in an environment where they feel safe and seen. Parents need to find a therapist that they feel comfortable with and one that can build relationally with their child. Approaches to Anger Management in Children Once care is established, you can say, “Let the games begin.” There are many games and activities available to help children begin to learn more about what and why they are feeling so much anger and outrage. Approaching therapy this way with children will allow them to avoid feeling like therapy is punitive. Therapy will allow children who are struggling with big emotions to safely explore all feelings. Over time, children will be able to identify [...]

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When to Consider Child Therapy

2025-05-17T08:24:05+00:00December 22nd, 2022|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured|

It can be difficult to know when to ask your child to go to therapy, but some signs may point to the need for qualified assistance. Learn more about child therapy, how it functions, and when you might want to give it some thought. How does child therapy work and what is it? A particular focus of child therapy is on your child’s healthy development in the emotional, physical, behavioral, and cognitive domains. Counselors for children can assist children with a wide range of problems, including trauma, anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, and social skill deficiencies. To assist children, child counselors employ a range of strategies, including play therapy, art therapy, and talk therapy. Frisco Christian Counseling offers specialized services to support your child’s well-being, helping them navigate challenges and develop essential coping skills. Play therapy, which can be either directive or nondirective, uses play to help children more effectively express their emotions. A specific objective guides the structure of directive play therapy. The therapist actively participates in choosing the playthings and activities. For instance, they offer the child a puppet to start a conversation with them about their current circumstances. The child chooses the toys and materials they want to use in non-directive play therapy. The child guides the play session with little guidance from the therapist, who provides a supportive, nonjudgmental environment. Children who may have trouble expressing their feelings verbally can use art therapy to do so. A variety of artistic techniques, such as painting, sculpture, collage-making, and drawing, may be used by an art therapist. Talk therapy entails discussing feelings and experiences with a therapist. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are two of the most widely used forms of talk therapy. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy CBT is [...]

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