Consultation and treatment
Maine Child Psychology has limited openings for psychological treatment and consultation. Services include the following: Parent behavior management consultation: We work with parents to understand the causes of child misbehavior (such as physical aggression to other children, refusing to follow instructions), review strategies parents have tried but have not worked, and assist parents to develop and implement new tools to reduce these behavior problems. Our goal is to give parents strategies they can use to solve current problems as well as anticipate and respond to new problems if they develop. We emphasize positive parenting in order to build healthy, affectionate parent-child relationships and child competence, while helping children follow family rules. Individual therapy for older children and teens: Sometimes children benefit from individual therapy to help manage feelings or actions. While we review past experience and history, individual therapy at Maine Child Psychology emphasizes here-and-now problem-specific interventions. In this regard, we educate children about common causes of the problems they encounter, teach children to recognize behaviors or thinking that predict or promote problems, and give them skills to change these problematic thinking and behavior patterns with helpful, positive thoughts and behaviors. Child problems which benefit from individual therapy include depression, anxiety problems, adjustment problems, anger control problems, effects of exposure to stressful or traumatic events, and some unwanted habits. Parents as partners in child mental health treatment: We believe that parent and family involvement is very important and often crucial to the success of child treatment. While it is important for kids to be able to talk in confidence, our goal is to strengthen family relationships and enlist parents and others to support children and solve problems. Child difficulties do not end when the child leaves the office, and family members often help to carry out homework between sessions or to remind children to use the tools they have learned. We believe children and teens benefit from knowing that parents are involved and concerned, and having parents participate in setting goals and doing the work of therapy. Learning program consultation: After the age of five, children spend about a third of their waking hours in school. Many children enjoy school-based learning and relationships with other students and school staff. Other children find the academic and social requirements and structure of school to be very challenging and frustrating. Maine Child Psychology learning program consultation consists of a careful review of a child’s success and obstacles in school and the nature of the learning program. We consult with the school program, parents and the student to create a learning environment and procedures designed to improve a student’s success in learning, social relating, and behavior, while making school an enjoyable and supportive setting for the child and family. |
Need More Information?
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page for answers to the more commonly asked questions, or contact us with specific questions. |