What Happens During Therapy with a Child Psychologist?

For a child psychologist, the main focus of therapy is on building a relationship and establishing trust with young patients. This relationship is essential to the therapeutic process because children and adolescents will more readily talk about their intimate feelings when they feel respected and accepted.

Their reactions to the world, rather than the world itself, determine their emotional and behavioral health. So, my job as a child psychologist is to assess how my patients react to events and communicate with people and then give them new tools and strategies so they can react in healthier and more positive ways.

One of my top priorities is helping children become aware of what they are feeling. Once they are aware of their own emotions, I can help them identify opportunities to express their feelings in a healthy manner. Awareness is a very important process in therapy, because without awareness, change is not possible.

Throughout therapy, I help children and adolescents find empowerment. I offer the support they need to better understand who they are, and I provide a safe environment in which they can talk about things that are frightening or painful. Finally, I encourage patients to be self-supportive and to experiment with new behaviors.

As a child psychologist, my goal is to help young people cope and react to the world around them in a healthy way

It may sound simple enough in theory: figure out what people are feeling and then help them find positive ways to cope with those feelings. But in practice, the process can be long and complicated. People tend to be attached to their own emotional processes, and negative reactions become habit-forming. As we know, habits are hard to break. It takes time, patience, and practice.

Learning new behaviors and thought processes can pose a challenge for children, who are highly emotional and rely on emotion rather than logic or reason.

The good news is that working with a child psychologist is proven to be effective in helping children who are struggling with emotional and behavioral difficulties. My goal, as a child psychologist, is improving my patients’ quality of life through play and talk therapy.

Dr. Kenneth Roberson is a San Francisco based child psychologist with over 20 years of experience treating adults, adolescents and children. To schedule a free initial consultation, please call 415-922-1122 or email info@kennethrobersonphd.com.