Is Therapy for Kids Too?

Therapy is for adults to process their childhood trauma and how it affects them as grown-ups. Or is it? What if therapy is for kids, too? What would happen if children could go to therapy as kids and work through their trauma then? The benefits could be huge!

Therapy is really for anyone who wants to and can go. Children just might receive therapy via slightly different modalities. These modalities might include, but are not limited to art therapy, family therapy, play therapy, storytelling, and more (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2019; Marsell Wellness Center, 2023). Benefits of therapy vary slightly from person to person but can include more decreased anxiety and depressive symptoms and more positive behaviors (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). Relationships can improve, and functioning can be enhanced (Mental Health America, n.d.). Physical symptoms related to stress and distress may also lessen (Olivine, 2022). Really, children receive the same benefits from therapy as adults.

Are there specific benefits of therapy for kids, though? Should they really go? Yes! Childhood is a unique period of growth in which trauma can hinder typical development (Walden University, n.d.). Children who receive help processing their struggles are thus on a better trajectory for long term holistic health. Additionally, children who receive therapy catered to their needs can learn cognitive, emotional, and relational skills that can grow with them (Marsell Wellness Center, 2023). Children who learn to express their emotions in healthy ways while young are likely to continue these healthy habits.

Therapy is certainly for adults, but for kids, too! Therapy sets kids on a trajectory to become more happy, healthy, well-adjusted adults. It helps them process traumas closer to when they occur, rather than processing the bulk of these adverse experiences as adults. Imagine a world where adults had less pain and more processing skills! Imagine a world where adults had more healthy coping skills! It could happen, but it starts with offering more therapy to children and allowing them receive its benefits.