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Distress doesn’t go for a specific age range.
When treading through life, everybody is equally exposed to goodness and happiness, making them vulnerable to sorrow and pain. Regardless of how carefully people choose their steps, falling against these is inevitable. These experiences don’t nitpick which group they upset.
They don’t only influence the older population. Instead, they also impact the younger ones, and unfortunately, this is when it’s most troublesome.
Childhood Isn’t Always Sunshine and Rainbow
Children are typically seen as happy-go-lucky. They’re perceived as those who go through life unaware of the consequences of their actions or the downside of society. Pure and carefree are their usual identifiers, yet their experiences aren’t close. Although their parents shield them against the world’s horrors, children aren’t ultimately cushioned against impediments and pitfalls. They’re also vulnerable to traumatic experiences or any grave events that can impact their mental health.
The world is filled with darkness. And often, children’s purity and light aren’t enough for it to dissipate. Instead of them influencing the world and making it brighter, it works against their favor. The situation becomes the other way around, where this bleakness consumes children. When this happens, child therapy is among the most valuable means to get themselves out.
Capturing Childhood Dread in Pages
An example of this can be read through Cynthia Giachino’s Quiet Fear autobiography. The story recounts the character’s experiences under the manipulation of her abuser. The protagonist, Lilly, grew up in a life divided by love and dread – extreme opposites that not only made life difficult but also the regulation of her emotions tricky. Lilly treaded through her days carrying both feelings in her heart, which influenced her experiences and life, generally.
However, she ever so wanted to break free from the shackles that entrapped her mind, desperate to grasp any form of normalcy a child like her should experience.
She knows she should be playing alongside kids her age, not grappling with fear that imprisons her. But to achieve this emotional freedom, Lilly had to deal with her demons herself – a manifestation of strength that shouldn’t be something children should undergo. If exposed to such a conundrum, unraveling and resolving the problem shouldn’t be left solely in their hands.
Their tiny and innocent hands shouldn’t be given such consequential responsibility that will impact the trajectory of their lives. At a young age, they should be left to play and enjoy their childhood, not combat their feelings and the present evil in society. Instead, they should be given all the available resources that can help them process their emotions and what they’re feeling.
This is where child therapy comes in.
The Importance and Effectivity of Child Therapy
Regardless of the stigma around mental health and the connotations revolving around the process, child therapy is crucial in ensuring children’s well-being. This activity helps those struggling with the hardships and challenges the world offers, allowing them to carry the burden. Child therapy is a professional insight that develops coping mechanisms that foster more confidence, resilience, and worth within children.
Whether it’s play, behavioral, or expressive therapy, these sessions are excellent opportunities to help children get through the experiences holding them back from growth and development.
However, regardless of its evident purpose and importance, it can be tricky for parents to open up the possibility to their children. Talking about child therapy has become a sensitive topic because of the reasons it entails. With the gravity of child therapy, children can mistake it for parents, forcing them to change or be in uncomfortable situations. It’s talking to professionals regarding their problems, which puts them on uneasy grounds. In fact, this often makes them reclusive to change.
Timing in bringing up child therapy is crucial. It usually should depend on children and their comfortability with such topic. Parents know them best. Hence, they should already be able to foretell when the right time to talk about it is. The most important thing is that parents should tread on this concept with sensitivity and decent consideration. But they shouldn’t avoid it given its benefits and importance to child development.
For children to move forward beyond life’s difficulties, they should be allowed to talk about their feelings and experiences. This is the primary purpose of child therapy.