| Social Skills & Counseling |  |
As most parents and educators know, children and adults can struggle physically, cognitively and academically. What many don't know is that children just as often struggle with social relationships, reciprocal communication, understanding body language and facial expressions, expressive language, play skills and socially appropriate behavior.
| These difficulties often present themselves in group situations or at times at which there is less structure and more need for abstract thinking on the part of a child. Such times might include free-play, recess, pretend and imaginative times. We often see these difficulties as school work requires more independent problem solving and social situations call for confidence and the ability to read social situations. In many situations children who struggle in these areas are assumed to have behavioral problems or intentionally act out. Most times this is not the case.
Children that struggle socially often have sensory and cognitive components of their behaviors as well as the social piece. All of these areas effect and impact each other. Because of this, it is very important to look at a child's behavior based on their developmental level, environmental influences, family history, medical/organic factors and sensory profile.
To address these areas of difficulty and help build authentic social and relational skills that can be readily generalized into a child's life, KidTherapy offers services in a realistic environment and utilizes play-based methods for both individual and group work. Play and affect-based models of therapy allow children to practice skills and participate in situations that are difficult for them while doing so in a way that is comfortable and fun. This encourages generalization into other environments such as school and home settings as well as supports optimum progress.
When working with children concerning relational and communicative skills it is important to utilize methods that make experiential learning the focus for both the individual child and entire family. Keeping this in mind, KidTherapy offers Social Therapy services to children and families to improve social comprehension and behavior, understanding of self regulation and relationships within family systems. |
|
