All Posts Tagged: child psychologist

Destigmatizing Mental Health Services For Youth

Studies have shown that children in the United States have many mental health needs that remain unidentified. In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that about 20% of the nation’s youth have or will have an emotional, mental, or behavioral disorder. Only about 7.4% of these children report having received any type of mental health services, however.

A 2014 National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) study by Jane Burns and Emma Birrell noted that many mental health problems escalate in adolescence and young adulthood. The effects of these under treated childhood mental health issues can be higher rates of substance abuse, anxiety, and depression, as well as suicidal ideation and self harm.

There is a stigma surrounding mental illness and its treatment. This disapproval is a barrier that keeps young people from seeking assistance. The consequence is that they are not receiving appropriate care, which translates to an increased chance of dropping out of school, employment or relationship problems, future incarceration, or even suicide.

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7 Tips for Overcoming Back to School Anxiety

Another school year has come around and with it, the possibility of extreme fear and separation anxiety for some children. Although it’s normal for any kid to have a certain degree of back to school anxiety, there is a huge difference between a child who is nervous about the new school year and one whose anxiety is severe enough to seek professional care.

Kids often worry about things like fitting in or whether the teacher will pick on them, which increases their stress. In the week leading up to the beginning of the school year or in the last few days before the end of a school break, younger kids may show some separation anxiety by crying frequently, throwing temper tantrums, or being more clingy than usual. Older children’s school anxiety symptoms can include being moody or irritable, complaining of headaches or stomach aches, or withdrawing into themselves.  So how can a parent tell if their child just has school jitters or if they truly have back to school anxiety?

Fears about new teachers, harder school work, and being away from their parents are common for kids and usually stop within a couple of weeks once the child settles into the routine of the new school year. For those children whose anxiety symptoms continue beyond the first four or five weeks of school or seem extreme or inappropriate for their developmental level, a consultation with a therapist may be in order.

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Bullying Kids With Food Allergies

Bullying Kids With Food Allergies

Imagine being a child who lives with severe food allergies. Ingesting even the tiniest amount of the allergen (or having it touch your skin) can be enough to trigger anaphylaxis, which can kill you. Your condition is so severe that you must extremely vigilant about your food and you carry an epinephrine injector everywhere you go in case your inadvertently miss something and begin having trouble breathing or your throat starts to close. Now imagine fellow students bullying you because of your life-threatening allergies or having a fellow student force you to touch or eat the food that might kill you. It sounds far-fetched in view of the danger, but that’s a real life scenario for approximately 31.5% of children with food allergies, according to a 2013 study reported in Pediatrics.

These children are being singled out for harassment and are more than twice as likely to be bullied specifically because their food allergies.

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Dermatillomania (Skin Picking Disorder)

While it’s simply “being human” to occasionally pick at your skin, at calluses, or at the cuticles on your fingers, when a person obsessively self-grooms, it could be a sign of dermatillomania or excoriation disorder. In layman’s terms, this is a skin picking disorder. The condition is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder and is one of a group of body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB). Dermatillomania damages skin and is characterized by compulsively picking, touching, pulling, rubbing, digging into, scratching, or even biting at one’s own skin as a way to get rid of perceived skin irregularities.

Signs of Dermatillomania

Research shows that anywhere between 2% and 5% of people compulsively pick at their skin. Females make up about 75% of those who are diagnosed with excoriation disorder. Skin picking can begin at any age, but commonly shows up in adolescence or at the onset of puberty. The condition made come and go over time, and the location the person picks at may change, but the disorder is generally chronic.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) signs and symptoms of dermatillomania include:

  • Skin picking that results in visible lesions, skin damage, scars and possibly disfigurement
  • The person has made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to stop picking at their skin
  • The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment
  • The symptoms are not caused by a medical or dermatologic condition or by a substance (example: opiate withdrawal)
  • The signs and symptoms are not better explained by another psychiatric disorder

Picking at the skin can cause anxiety, depression and embarrassment in those who have dermatillomania. They may attempt to cover their skin lesions with makeup or clothing and may avoid situations in which their condition may be discovered. This can lead to isolation and emotional distress, which can increase the risk of having a mood or anxiety disorder in addition to their dermatillomania. Another complication can be the need for medical care because it isn’t uncommon for the person to get a skin infection, open wound, or scars from picking too much.

Treatment for Skin Picking Disorder

It is thought that fewer than one in five people will seek treatment for excoriation disorder, however Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is very helpful for those who do. CBT helps patients identify the negative or inaccurate thoughts, feelings and behaviors that have become problematic and teaches them how to challenge and change their reaction to them.

While the main therapy for dermatillomania is behavioral therapy, medication is sometimes used to reduce the feelings that lead to compulsive skin picking. Although psychiatric medications have limited success, there are some people who benefit from temporary use of them, particularly if they have a concurrent condition, such as anxiety or depression. Additionally, some skin medications can help the underlying condition (such as acne) that causes the individual to pick at their skin.

As a family member, it can be difficult to be supportive of a person with dermatillomania or other BFRBs. The behavior can strain relationships with friends and family. Remember to communicate with patience and empathy and remain calm when talking to the person. If you feel overwhelmed, join a support group or explore the resources in self-help groups or in books on the subject.

Get Help for Dermatillomania

For more information about how a child psychologist at the Children’s Center can help your child overcome skin picking, contact the Children’s Center for Psychiatry, Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.

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SMART Goals Method Teaches Kids About Goal Setting

SMART Goals Method Teaches Kids About Goal Setting

We’ve gotten through the first month of a new year and many of us have already abandoned our New Year’s resolutions. As adults, we have good intentions about goal setting for things we want to work on or change throughout the year. Stating a goal is easy, however, while actually seeing it through can be much tougher. Goal setting and accomplishing objectives can be even more challenging for kids because they have a much harder time envisioning the future outcome, which makes it difficult for them to keep their eye on the prize. But, what if there was a way to help children learn how to set specific goals and teach them how to attain them? This is where working on SMART goals can help.

SMART is an acronym that stands for:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable, Achievable
  • Realistic and Relevant
  • Time-Limited and Trackable

For kids (and some parents), goal setting through the SMART goals method teaches an important life skill that simplifies an ambition and breaks it down into actionable steps, making it more likely to be achieved. The great thing about SMART goals is that this method can be used for any type of goal setting, ranging from something like aiming to read a certain amount of books as a child, to more difficult tasks like paying off debt as an adult – and everything in between.

SMART Goals Examples

A goal is an outcome that will make a difference when you achieve it. Measurable goals can’t be too ambitious that they’re out of reach, but they also shouldn’t be so simple that it’s not challenging to attain it. The goal should be realistic, but should require attention and effort to achieve it. That’s one of the reasons goals need to be trackable and time-limited, and why measurable action steps need to be step up. That way, you can keep track of progress and make adjustments to the steps as necessary.

Breaking down each step, here are some SMART goals examples:

  • Specific – Don’t say, “I want to get better grades in school.” Do frame the desire for better grades in the form of something such as, “I will get all B’s and higher on my report card.” Stating the specific goal in concrete terms helps it become measurable.
  • Measurable – How will you know when you’ve achieved your goal? In the case of getting better grades, you’ll know if you’ve succeeded when the next grading period ends and you can see the results of your efforts.
  • Attainable (Achievable) – It’s probably unlikely that a student could go from mid-level grades to making straight A’s in one grading period, so they would want to set a goal they know they have a good chance of hitting. Don’t say, “I will make all straight A’s on my next report card.” Instead, do say, “I will raise all my grades by one letter by the end of the next grading period.
  • Realistic and Relevant – Again, it’s going to be tough (and, therefore, self-defeating) to try to go from C-grades to straight A’s all at once. Raising grades by one level is realistic, however, setting this goal won’t matter unless it’s relevant to the child. Is the goal something they are excited about attaining?
  • Time-limited and Trackable – Using the goal of raising grades on a report card, a time-limited goal would be to set the goal of achieving the result by the end of the next grading period or maybe the end of the school year. This goal is trackable if the child (and you) have a way of keeping tabs on their grades. Talk to the teachers to see if they’d be willing to give the child progress reports to help keep them motivated. Another way to track results is by keeping a chart of grades from papers, tests, and projects, so your child can get an idea of their progress. Keep the age of the child in mind – preschoolers have much shorter attention span. Their goals need to have a shorter time period.

The biggest barrier to attaining goals is that they are often too lofty and hard to achieve. By using the SMART goals method of goal setting, you can break your goals down into detailed, manageable chunks and set up action plans and benchmarks that will keep you focused on the end result.

Our Giant Leap App Helps with SMART Goals

Our Giant Leap app contains customizable charts that give your child a visual reminder of their SMART goals. Eye-catching charts and graphics give kids something to focus on and makes it easier for them to understand the bigger picture – for example, by listing actions that need to be taken. In addition, the app’s colorful images engage and hold children’s attention, which is particularly important for young children who can’t read. For added convenience, Giant Leap lets parents update their child’s charts in real time within the app and allows them print charts out for daily or weekly use, if needed.

For more information, contact the Children’s Center for Psychiatry Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.

 

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Virtual Reality Apps Are Helping Children With Anxiety

Sometimes it isn’t easy to go through childhood. There’s a big, scary world out there and new activities or experiences can often bring up anxiety in children. But, what if there was a way for your child to experience a new scenario in a safe, nurturing way so they could reduce their anxiety before taking part in the activity? Enter virtual reality apps. The growing field of virtual reality therapy is combining cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and in-vivo exposure therapy in a fun way – on a powerful and engaging game-like platform that children can easily relate to.

How Can VR Apps Help My Child?

The Children’s Center’s innovative Giant Leap app is great example of a high-tech solution that gives kids control over their fears. Giant Leap and other VR apps can be used in a variety of scenarios, such as:

  • Helping to reduce school anxiety
  • Addressing the child’s concerns before a visit to the doctor
  • Calming their separation anxiety when staying home with a babysitter

For example, one child might be apprehensive about classroom interaction in school, while another may worry about an upcoming medical procedure, such as getting an MRI. Both kids could conquer their fears by watching exposure stories on the app, which will show them what to expect from the upcoming experience.

VR apps can also be used to manage behaviors and teach your child emotional regulation techniques. Featuring customizable avatars that can be configured to match your child’s hair color, style, and skin tone (and can even use a photo of your child), these entertaining virtual reality apps encourage independence and motivate kids through stories, videos, and flexible charts and reward systems.

How Effective Are Virtual Reality Apps?

Studies are showing that virtual reality apps amplify the areas of the brain that are related to attention and control. The result is that children:

  • Strengthen their daily living skills
  • Learn emotional regulation techniques
  • Report having more control when faced with real-life issues

Animated stories like the ones provided on the Giant Leap app gradually expose the child, via their avatar, to the scenario they are worried about (for example: visiting the dentist). Kids work through one scene at a time, at their own pace, until they are ready to move forward to the next one on their own. These meaningful, close-to-life scenarios offer immediate feedback, which greatly enhances the child’s ability to cope under stress.

Furthermore, positive behavior can be learned and reinforced through virtual reality apps and tailored to each child’s individual needs. Flexible programs allow parents to customize the app to their child’s specific activities and situations while encouraging routines and building life skills. By motivating and rewarding appropriate behavior, children learn to function independently, and gain powerful tools that lead to future success.

Learn More About Our Giant Leap App

For more information about how virtual reality apps like our Giant Leap app can help with child anxiety treatment, contact the Children’s Center for Psychiatry Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.

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