Sunny Psychology Maroochydore

Children & Adolescents

Why see a psychologist for your child/teenager?

Child psychology specifically focuses on the emotional, social and behavioural development of children and adolescents, starting prenatally (yes, in the belly) until around 25 years of age.

Young people, and their parents or caregivers, seek help from a psychologist for a range of issues, from life adjustments (e.g. grief, separation, moving schools), symptoms of anxiety or depression to children with an established diagnosis (e.g. ADHD) or with (a history of) trauma. See the list below for more examples.

Symptoms that can be treated with psychological support are:

Trauma
Mood swings, incl. depression
Social challenges
Behavioural problems
Impulsivity and hyperactivity
LGBTIQ concerns/questions
Anxiety
Low self-esteem
Parents separating
Life transitions, grief & loss
Problems with attention and performance
Substance use

Sunny Psychology

Working with young people

Working with young people is not something that every psychologist can- or prefers to do. Therefore, it is important that when finding a psychologist for your child, you seek expertise from someone who has been trained in child or developmental psychology and has experience working with children in the age-bracket of your child.

Personally, I am most experienced in seeing children from ages 9 years and up. When it comes to a history of trauma, I work with children of all ages. I really enjoy working with young people, especially tweens and early adulthood. This is probably the case because I remember vividly how challenging it was to navigate the world with the missing element of life experience. Talking confidentially, to someone outside of the family can bring great relief. It will be my honour to (temporarily) be part of the village that supports you and your family.

See the bottom of this page for a short message for teens :).

* All photos of clients in session have been published with their permission.

I see behaviours as a language and I use ‘translation’ tools and strategies that have been extensively researched and shown over and over again to be effective.

Tessa, Sunny Psychology

Sunny Psychology

In our Session

Sessions with children and adolescents can look differently from sessions with adults and couples. Because children have a shorter attention span and their words and understanding of the world are still developing there are several options to connect to a young person in session:

Practice new skills

As a psychologist I help kids practice what they learn. They might play games where a child needs to wait their turn (e.g. Uno), use self-control, be patient, follow directions, listen, share, try again, or deal with losing.

Talk

Talking is a healthy way to express feelings. When kids put feelings into words instead of actions, they can act their best. When someone listens and knows how they feel, kids are more ready to learn.

Do activities

We can use activities to teach about feelings and coping skills. This can include drawing, sandplay, making music and board games to teach social skills. We can also teach and practise mindfulness and calm breathing as a way to lower stress.

Solve problems

With older kids and teens, I can listen and we can talk over how to solve some of the presenting problems.

Sunny Psychology

A short message for teens

You’ve probably heard the words ‘Mental Health’ regularly by now, because these days schools seem to be onto it. Seriously though, your mental health IS important for your overall wellbeing. Looking after it is similar to the way you look after your phone: keeping it charged, so that you can use it throughout the day.

If you are ready to hear the truth, I will give it to you straight up. What I’ll also do, is listen to you when others haven’t. I will support you through your doubts, fears, fights with your parents and breakups. I will offer you a space to express yourself openly. And if you don’t feel that sitting down and looking at each other while discussing the big stuff is for you, that’s fine, we can go for a walk with Charlie and have a simple yarn.

Btw, no worries about missing out on that battery juice, all types of chargers are available at the clinic. You can charge your device while we chat, so that you and your device can both get recharged during the session :).