Helping Kids Thrive

We all want the very best for our kids, and when they have a broken bone or fever, the solution is clear - go to the doctor. For kids whose struggles aren’t as obvious, parents can find it difficult to know where to begin. At Mosaic Community Services, we understand that there are many subtle challenges that can impact children and adolescents, including behavioral and cognitive health concerns, mood disorders, and social struggles. If your child seems to be experiencing difficulty, you don’t have to handle all of these challenges on your own. Our Kingston counselors can help. We offer therapy services for kids and adolescents to help them overcome challenges and develop the skills they need to thrive in their educational, personal, and future professional lives.

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Why Would My Child Visit a Counselor?

Many parents feel guilty or think they’ve done something wrong. In most cases, this couldn’t be further from the truth. If you’re concerned and involved enough to recognize your child needs help, the odds are pretty good you’re doing just fine, and it’s always okay to rely on professionals for guidance. We hope you’ll consider allowing the Mosaic Community Services team to work with you and your children.

There are three main groups of cognitive and behavioral problems that kids struggle with - difficult experience, emotional struggles, and specific diagnoses.

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Difficult Experiences

This can include a number of different challenges, including:

• Loss of a family member or friend

• Parental conflict, including divorce and separation

• Educational struggles

• Bullying

• Health issues

• Traumatic events - personally experienced or witnessed

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Emotional Struggles

When kids are having difficulties understanding and expressing their complex emotions, therapy can be very beneficial to them. In many cases, these emotional struggles are tied to one of the above experiences, but some young people simply seem to have difficulty processing their feelings. If you notice your child or adolescent displaying extreme anger, sadness, anxiety, or very low self-esteem, it may be time to consider reaching out to a counselor for help.

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Specific Diagnoses

In addition to difficult experiences and disordered emotional responses, your child may also need to visit us for assistance with a specific diagnosis, including:

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and attentional difficulties

• Depression and mood disorders

• Obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and other anxiety-related conditions

• Disruptive behaviors

• Self-harming behaviors

• Trauma-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

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What Should They Expect During Counseling?

Most adult therapy is pretty straightforward. We talk and develop strategies you can take home with you and work on throughout the course of receiving counseling services. With kids, it’s not usually that simple, especially for younger children. Rather than just talking, we may utilize a variety of different action-based therapy methods to communicate with your child and help kids develop skills they can practice with us via Telehealth. Each game, activity, or experiment is targeted to address your child’s unique situation, so he or she can develop coping strategies to approach challenges and difficulties with confidence.

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How Can I Help Them At-Home?

If your child’s struggles are having significant impact on your family unit, we may recommend one or more family sessions, but there are a number of ways you can help your child through the therapy process, including the following:

• Touch base with your child every day to see how he or she is feeling

• Set appropriate boundaries for your child’s and your own health and safety

• Ask how your child’s therapy homework is going

• Know the warning signs of self-harm and unsafe behaviors and intervene quickly and compassionately

• Offer your help and support on a regular basis

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If you’re not sure how to approach the suggestions above, let your child’s counselor know. We’ll be happy to talk to you about how to help your child use the skills they’re learning in therapy at-home, school, and in other aspects of daily life.

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Should We Consider Family Therapy?

In order to help your family to grow and thrive together, we can also offer family therapy. These sessions may include several members of your family, but you don’t all, necessarily, need to be present for each session. The goal is to improve communication and your ability to function together. We can work with families who are dealing with a number of challenges, including loss, divorce, or working with a family member who has a specific mental health diagnosis. Whatever your goals are, family therapy can help you achieve them in order to lead happier and more fulfilling lives.

Who Will be Working with My Child?

At Mosaic Community Services, we have a number of clinicans who specialize in therapy services for children, adolescents, and families. Their goal when working with young people who struggle with behavioral and mental health disorders and their families is to help them develop coping strategies that will allow them to lead more fulfilling lives.

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How do I Get Started with Mosaic Clinical Services?

If you’re ready to schedule a child, adolescent, or family therapy session please contact one of our team members. One of us will be happy to speak with you about available counseling services and help you determine what your next steps should be.