While many parents want to help their children through a divorce by encouraging them to adapt to the situation, there are some children who will not do well with the pressure they’re dealing with. As a result, they may need more specialized help.
One type of support that you may want to look into is therapy. Up to 25 percent of children who go through divorce have lasting issues as a result of what they’ve gone through. Even the more amicable divorces can cause children great stress, so it’s not surprising that there could be lasting emotional and behavioral consequences.
How do you know that it’s time to seek professional help for your child?
There are a few signs that your child needs more than just support from you and your ex-spouse. These signs may include:
- Developing sudden academic problems
- Undergoing changes in personality
- Developing irrational fears
- Showing compulsive behaviors
- Acting manipulative toward others
- Becoming moody
- Showing fear when apart from one or both parents
- Acting much younger than their age
Children who begin to display these issues need to have an intervention from a professional. Therapy isn’t only for those who have mental health concerns or who have no one to support them. Therapists can do a good job in providing your child with an outlet and coping techniques. In group sessions, a therapist can discuss options for addressing behavior issues and other problems that have arisen since the divorce.
Divorce has an impact, but with good emotional support, children can emerge with the coping skills they’ll use many times in life.
