When To Seek Professional Help For Your Child
Coming to the realisation that your child might need some form of intervention isn’t easy. There can be a certain stigma around meeting with health professionals, such as psychologists, speech pathologists or occupational therapists.
But meeting with a trained professional does not mean your child is ‘crazy,’ it does not mean that you are a bad parent, and it certainly does not mean that you have failed as a parent. Seeking help for your child simply means that you are brave enough to be proactive about the situation. If you’re questioning whether your child might need intervention, the best thing you can do is seek a professional opinion.
We spoke with Emily Habelrih, a psychologist from Youthrive Integrated Therapy services, on when to seek professional help for your child and the benefits of the integrated therapy model offered by Youthrive, a clinic that offers psychology, speech pathology and occupational therapy all in one place.
“If there is nothing seriously wrong, then seeing a professional will at least put your mind at ease,” Emily says. “However, if an issue is detected, then you have sought early intervention for your child, and you have placed your child in the best possible position for success. After all, early intervention is often the key to successful treatment for a range of issues including motor difficulties, speech delay, and behavioural concerns,” she said.
“Whilst your child might only require professional assistance from one domain, many children, specifically those with behavioural concerns, require assistance from a more integrated, multidisciplinary approach. Integrative therapy involves combining methods from across services to form an individualised plan for a particular child.”
“For example, when diagnosing a child with Autism, ‘best practice’ involves seeking assessments from occupational therapists, psychologists, speech pathologists, and paediatricians, in order to obtain a rounded picture of a child. So if all these professionals come together to diagnose a child, why aren’t they all involved in the therapeutic process?” Emily said.
“An integrative approach embraces an attitude towards therapy that works towards the goals of each individual. All members of the therapy team are in constant communication with one another and work together to ensure that the needs of the child is being met across all important life domains. This approach responds effectively to the person at a speech, motor, physical, behavioural, cognitive, and physiological level of functioning, as well as addressing the development of important life skills,” Emily said.
More and more parents and health professionals are recognising the benefits of integrated therapy, as it becomes a more sought-after service for promoting healthy development in children.
Emily Habelrih is a psychologist from Youthrive Integrated Therapy services To find out more about the Youthrive model and to find your local clinic, visit the Youthrive website.
