by Marygrace Anderson
I took a Masterclass on Working with Children. The interesting topic was current conditions hypnotherapists are getting requests for - by parents - to help their children. Five years ago, the topics were bed wetting, fear of the dark and general anxieties like separation and sleep issues. While those are still common, we now see Children for Attention Deficit Disorder, bullying, vocal and motor tics, compulsions and ritual behaviour bordering on OCD behaviour.
So the fascinating question is; “whose problem is it?” Is it the parent overreacting or a serious problem for your child? How do you know? Every case is different but the two key questions are: is it affecting your child’s health (how long has it been going on) and is bothering them? If it’s not bothering your child, I wouldn't worry about it. If your child is miserable or worried and wants help, that is when you should take action.
Just like an adult, your child needs to want to receive help before they can make changes. Things you can do at home to help:
I took a Masterclass on Working with Children. The interesting topic was current conditions hypnotherapists are getting requests for - by parents - to help their children. Five years ago, the topics were bed wetting, fear of the dark and general anxieties like separation and sleep issues. While those are still common, we now see Children for Attention Deficit Disorder, bullying, vocal and motor tics, compulsions and ritual behaviour bordering on OCD behaviour.
So the fascinating question is; “whose problem is it?” Is it the parent overreacting or a serious problem for your child? How do you know? Every case is different but the two key questions are: is it affecting your child’s health (how long has it been going on) and is bothering them? If it’s not bothering your child, I wouldn't worry about it. If your child is miserable or worried and wants help, that is when you should take action.
Just like an adult, your child needs to want to receive help before they can make changes. Things you can do at home to help:
- Do positive visualisation with them
- Fill in a progress chart or a note book/journal (depending on age)
- Say coping statements with them in the present tense. (I am calm and confident)
- Give positive reinforcement when they make progress
- Find distraction tasks when they think or perform the undesirable pattern
- Have them talk the problem out loud to a puppet or family pet and see if they can explain the problem and possible solutions to solve it. Think of as many as they can and then choose the best one they like.
- Make it a game! See how long they can go without the worry or compulsion and beat their time next time.
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