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Our Services for Children, Adolescents and Young Adults |
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 Children
Children come to therapy at the Samaritan Counseling Center because a caring adult like a parent, teacher, relative, pastor or friend has identified something in the child’s behavior or emotional responses or attitude that is of a concern. For example,
• a child has experienced a traumatic incident and begins to experience reactive symptoms of stress or fear
• a teacher is reporting a pattern of problematic or disruptive behavior at school that continues despite family and/or school intervention.
• A child is regularly defying authority or in a pattern of breaking rules
• a child has recently experienced significant loss as in the death of a loved one or gone through his/her parent’s divorce
• a child with recurring anxiety or fears which are interfering with their normal activities and routine
• a child has a chronic illness or a serious injury
• a child with attention/concentration problems or children who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD
• a child with depression or low self esteem
• a child with high levels of anger or aggression or acting out anger against other children
• a child is isolating or having difficulty building social relationships or is being bullied
Children are sometimes seen by a therapist individually. Often there will be family therapy involving the parents and/or some of the other family members. Or there will be a combination of individual and family therapy. The goal is to help each child acquire the personal and interpersonal skills needed to be successful at home, at school, and in their social relationships and activities.
 Adolescents
Making the transition from childhood to adulthood presents unique challenges. Occasionally, a teenager will express a desire to get some counseling help, but more often it is a parent or teacher or coach or youth group leader who identifies this need in an adolescent. Many times parents are seeking information that would make a distinction between normal teenage behavior, and behavior that has crossed into something more and requiring professional help. Adolescents struggle with similar issues as children, (see above list under “Children”) and also:
• an adolescent exhibiting a significant drop in academic achievement
• an adolescent binge drinking or abusing drugs or showing signs of another addictive behavior
• an adolescent showing signs of an eating disorder
• an adolescent struggling with peer pressure or making a change in peer affiliation that is a concern
• an adolescent with intense mood swings or reoccurring anxiety or depression symptoms
• an adolescent in constant conflict with authority figures
• an adolescent engaging in high risk behaviors or unhealthy patterns of relating to the opposite sex
• an adolescent who is volatile, angry or physically acts out anger against others
• an adolescent engaging in self-harming behavior
 Young Adults
Young adulthood is a time when young men and women seek to establish themselves as adults in the world with a balanced and healthy lifestyle and to find both meaningful work and love for a lifetime. Young adults seek counseling for the above reasons and are seen in individual therapy, rather than family therapy.
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