Healing Through Forgiveness

How To Make Counseling More Comfortable For Your Grieving Child

2 March 2017 by Kurt Garrett

Whether due to a divorce, a death in the family, a lost pet, or any other traumatic experience, counseling can help your child get through the pain and suffering they're going through. Therapy can help them cope with stress and teach them some new problem-solving skills to enable them to overcome their grief and build a happy, healthy life as time goes on. But the idea and process of going to counseling and talking to a perceived stranger can be difficult for kids at first, so it's important to make sure they feel comfortable and will utilize the help they're getting with an open mind. Here are a few things you can do to make counseling more comfortable for your little one overall:

Practice at Home

Before your child's first counseling session, find out from their counselor what can be expected so you can practice a little at home. What is the atmosphere and lighting like? What kinds of questions will be asked initially? Will toys or games be used during the session? Ask the counselor to provide you with a list of details you can use to recreate a counseling scene at home and role-play with your child in a fun and positive manner at home. By practicing, your little one will get used to the counseling process and will be less likely to feel scared or intimidated when they finally have their first meeting with their therapist.

Make Counseling Day Fun

On days when your child is scheduled to meet with their counselor, make a point to have some extra fun so the experience is more likely to be remembered as a positive one overall. If you can't spend the entire day playing together, consider spending a couple of hours before or after your child's counseling session doing an activity such as:

• Having a picnic in the park.
• Enjoying ice cream and a movie.
• Strolling through a museum.
• Playing a board game at home.
• Riding bikes around the neighborhood.

The idea is to make scheduled counseling days fun enough that your child doesn't spend their time worrying about their session and instead can focus on the positive things in life.

Attend Counseling Yourself

Be an example to your little one and show them that counseling is beneficial for everyone by attending sessions on a regular basis yourself. The fact that you're utilizing therapy to overcome your stress will let your child know that it's all right to accept help from other people and that it doesn't mean there is anything wrong with them. Whether you attend counseling once a week or once a month, make it a point to discuss the topic with your child occasionally so they understand that you are participating and that they aren't alone in the process.

Try Not to Pry Too Much

It can be tempting to ask your child a lot of questions about their counseling sessions, but it's important to try not to pry, or you may end up pushing them away. Remember that your little one is likely sharing very personal feelings, some of which they may be afraid will upset you, and they are not interested in letting you in on those thoughts. You can ask general questions, such as how the meeting went overall, but be careful not to ask specific questions that make your child feel pressured to share things they want to keep to themselves. They'll reach out to you when and how much they want to, and as long as you have an open mind and ear, you shouldn't have a problem staying connected with one another throughout the counseling process.

These ideas can be used one at a time or in combination with each other to create a comfortable and convenient counseling experience for your child overall. 

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