Divorce and separation have a negative impact on kids. Much as you want to ignore this fact, even if your divorce or separation were amicable, it will have a powerful impact on your kids because no one is really prepared for the trauma of having one’s family becoming broken. Counseling can serve as great help during this tumultuous time, especially as a way to reduce the negative impact on your kids.
Counseling offers the following benefits:
- A private place and time that your kids can go to. This space will serve as a sort of secure, temporary base while your family is going through the long and tough process of change.
- A qualified mental health professional who will thoroughly listen to your kids and give them the undivided attention they deserve. Sessions don’t even need to be all about the divorce or talk of family. It could likewise involve things that are happening to your kids at school and their personal life. This will help ensure that they maintain some semblance of normalcy in their daily lives.
- The counselor could serve as your kids’ sounding board. With his or her help, your kids can freely process their feelings and ask questions that they don’t feel comfortable asking you.
- The family counseling expert in Sandy, Utah, can work with your kids through the grieving process they will inevitably go through during the separation or divorce process, along with all the changes that come with it.
Addressing Problem Behaviors
It’s very common for kids to feel angry during a separation or divorce. Anger is actually a natural and healthy way to deal with the changes. So, instead of feeling frustrated over your angry kids, listen to them. Let them express whatever they’re feeling, lest they turn to self-destructive coping mechanisms.
It is when kids feel unheard and helpless that they usually act out. For instance, they might harm themselves physically to numb their feelings, withdraw from their family and friends, pick fights, or even turn to drugs and alcohol and become promiscuous, as they grow older.
With this in mind, if your kids are displaying any problematic behavior, make certain that they know you’ll always be there for them and that they can come to you when they’re ready to voice out their feelings. On the other hand, if reassuring them of your presence isn’t working, having a family counselor step in might work.
Main Takeaways
Sometimes, kids blame themselves for their parent’s separation or divorce. Depending on the age of the kids and what’s appropriate for them, family counseling can help them understand what’s happening, what might happen, and give them the tools they need to voice out their innermost feelings in a healthy and safe manner. Likewise, a family counselor can also be your kids’ voice, if necessary, as well as an extra set of ears and eyes that can help you monitor your kids’ wellbeing during this difficult time.
Family counseling can give them the kind of space, empathy, and undivided attention to express what they are really feeling, which you may find hard to provide since you are also going through so many changes and stresses.