Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with Children

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with Children

 

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is an empirically based approach to anxiety-related challenges with children. In the context of play therapy for younger children and talk therapy for older ones, the CBT model helps children consider alternate ways of processing their thoughts. In an age where automaticity and immediacy are the norm, CBT provides an opportunity to slow down, question and counter thoughts in a systematic approach that guides children to think differently.  By guiding clients through strategies such as thought records and guided imagery children learn to challenge themselves and explore alternate ways of processing otherwise automatic, maladaptive thoughts (e.g., black and white thinking, catastrophizing and generalizing, all-or-nothing thinking, etc.), and counter these thoughts with more adaptive ones. 

 

Through weekly modules children become aware of their thoughts and feelings while exploring the triggers that they experience.  From here children come to recognize which feelings they are struggling with, how it affects them physically and emotionally, and which strategies to use. They come to recognize that their preferred emotions are within reach.  By introducing the elements of the CBT triangle (Cognitions, Feelings and Behaviours) and their influence on one another, children learn to modify their thoughts to improve their emotions and subsequent behaviour.  Through the establishment of collaborative goals and experiments with the therapist, children learn to modify their thoughts. They soon learn that they can improve their mood before their worries get out of hand.  Strategies such as thought records, deep breathing and guided imagery serve to empower children with the tools they need to be happy.

 

CBT is a wonderful tool that readily transfers outside of therapy and across situations while empowering the child to restructure their cognitions, reduce their anxiety, and approach new experiences with confidence and enthusiasm.  Children inherently possess a resiliency which makes them ideal candidates open to new ideas and ways of looking at things. Working with anxious children provides an ideal opportunity to challenge negative thoughts and turn an otherwise negative outlook into a more positive one. 

 

CBT is so well recognized that most insurance companies readily fund this modality as it has been empirically validated globally as the gold standard in the treatment of children’s mental health. At Toronto Psychological Services and Research Centre (TPSRC), we are confident that your child can benefit from our services so that their worries don’t interfere with their daily functioning. CBT is a practical adjunct to our assessments or a standalone modality to address anxiety and related diagnoses. We are here to empower children by giving them the tools they need to succeed. 

Author: Sharon Anisman, MPsy. C. Psych. Assoc. (Sup. Prac.)