When Should I Seek a Child Psychologist?

As a parent or caregiver, it’s natural to want the best for your child, especially when it comes to their emotional and psychological well-being. It can be difficult to know if behaviours are typical for children or if it is appropriate to seek professional help from a child psychologist. Understanding the signs that may indicate the need for professional support can help you ensure your child receives the guidance they need to thrive.

Here are some situations where seeing a child psychologist might be helpful:

1. Emotional Concerns

• Excessive anxiety, fear, or worry that interferes with daily activities.

• Signs of depression, such as persistent sadness, withdrawal from activities, or changes in sleep and appetite.

• When your child is hurting themselves or speaking about suicide or wanting to escape their life.

• Low self-esteem or feelings of worthlessness or when your child speaks negatively about their self, abilities, or appearance often.

2. Behavioural challenges

• Frequent tantrums or outbursts that are difficult to manage.

• Aggressive or destructive behaviours toward others, property or self.

• Persistent oppositional behaviour, defiance, avoidance of tasks or refusal.

• Difficulty following rules at home or school, leading to strain on relationships or impacting learning or others.

3. Social Difficulties

• Problems making or keeping friends.

• Social withdrawal or difficulty interacting with peers.

• Bullying or being bullied and not knowing how to cope.

4. Academic Struggles

• Significant drop in school performance or struggling to keep up with peers.

• Difficulty with focus, attention, or learning, particularly after any adjustments or additional support the school has made to assist your child has not been enough.

• Significant anxiety and or physical symptom complaints (headaches, stomach pain etc) about the idea of going to school.

• Refusal to attend school.

5. Developmental Delays

• Delayed milestones, such as speech, motor skills, toileting and or social skills.

• Regression in skills (e.g., sudden loss of skills already acquired in speech, toilet training, motor skills, following instructions or completing tasks).

6. Trauma or Life Changes

• Major life events such as divorce, co-parenting changes, death of a loved one, or a move.

  Exposure to traumatic events (e.g., accidents, abuse, natural disasters).

7. Chronic Physical Symptoms

• Persistent physical complaints (e.g., stomach aches, headaches) with no clear medical cause, possibly indicating stress or emotional distress.

8. Family Conflicts

• Difficulty managing parent-child relationships or family dynamics (co-parenting) that cause significant distress on the child.

9. Concerns About ADHD, Autism, or Learning Difficulties

• Ongoing academic struggles, persistent concentration/attention issues or difficulties with communication skills, repetitive behaviour or restricted interests may indicate difficulties that would be worth discussing with a child psychologist.

If you are concerned about your child’s mental health, don’t hesitate to reach out. The sooner you seek help, the sooner we can help you with the support and guidance to help your child.