Do my children need therapy after our divorce? As a parent, you want the best for your child. When it comes to divorce, your child will need you more than ever. There will be difficult feelings, new living arrangements, and many questions that your child will need answered.
With all of this newness, how can you tell if your child is able to handle the divorce on his/her own, or if a therapist would be helpful?
It’s pretty typical that divorce will be concerning for any child involved. A few signs that your children need therapy is if they become withdrawn, angry, anxious, or depressed. Look for odd behavior: is your rambunctious child suddenly reserved or withdrawn? Is your child acting out in school or receiving bad grades when there has never been an issue before? Odd behavior is often a reaction to divorce.
Some children feel the need to hide their own feelings because they think it’s beneficial for their parents. It’s possible that a child will feel guilty, abandoned, or confused during a divorce. Parents and children must work together to help work through issues that come up in order to move forward in a healthy manner.
If possible, talk over the idea of therapy with your ex. The therapist will be able to offer advice to you and your ex on how to help your children through the tough times. If you still aren’t sure whether therapy is necessary, consider that early intervention is the key for good results. If your child doesn’t need therapy, a well-trained therapist will see that and tell you so.
No matter what you decide, make sure to reassure your children throughout the divorce. Your patience, reassurance, and listening ear can put your children at ease as they learn to cope with the new circumstances. Provide routines your children can rely on, this can provide some comfort amongst all the instability. At such a transitional time, there will be hardships, but you can reduce your children’s pain by making their well being your top priority.
In our next blog post, we will continue our discussion and talk about how therapy can help with problems you and your ex may face when parenting. If you have any questions about today’s blog post, don’t hesitate to contact Reka by phone at 402-881-8125, by email at reka@omaha-counseling.com, or via Twitter or Facebook.
