Child Psychologist - Instytut Dzielny Miś

A role of a child psychologist is often underestimated and even demonized in our society. Because “our child is not mentally ill”, because “we can manage on our own”, because “there used to be no psychologists and our parents raised us somehow”. Examples can be multiplied and multiplied.

The decision to see a specialist is usually not easy for parents. Thoughts appear – “we are bad parents”, “others can do it and we can’t”. All this is probably due to bad experiences or lack of knowledge about who a child psychologist is and what we can expect from him.

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN a den?

A child psychologist – in contrary to it’s name – works not only with children, but also with their parents and the child’s environment. A psychologist is a person who assesses the development of the child and the functioning of the family. During the assessment, an interview with the parent is important, often examining parental attitudes – considering the problem from the perspective of the environment in which the child functions. When assessing a child’s development, it is worth paying attention to social competences, physical fitness, behaviour, play, emotions, bond with the parent, concentration of attention, functioning of the senses, speech and communication. The examination is usually functional and takes the form of play (as is possible subsequent therapy). A thorough analysis of the reported problem, assessment of the child’s and family’s behavior allows us to help parents and solve difficulties.

What problems can parents report? These may be problems related to sleep, eating, adaptation, disturbing behavior (delay or regression in the development of individual functions), experiencing fears, difficulties in establishing relationships, behaviors indicating a disease entity, as well as various random events, traumas and many, many more.

SHOULD WE VISIT CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST ONLY IF WE FACE SOME MENTAL DIFFICULTIES?

Psychologist is not only a “emergency treatment”. Parents in our clinic can count on help in the field of so-called counseling, i.e. the selection of toys and games appropriate to age, selection of literature in the field of developmental psychology and strengthening parental competences, selection of additional activities or those supporting development.

DOES PSYCHOLOGIST CAN HANDLE ANY PROBLEM?

It is impossible to answer this question. A psychologist is not to evaluate and assess educational methods or parental competences. This is someone who will look objectively at the whole situation, relationships, try to find the source of the problem and – thanks to the psychologist’s knowledge and professional experience – will help solve the problem, be it through counseling, monitoring, constant therapy or consulting with another specialist. The psychologist’s task is to strengthen and show strengths as a parent, as well as support in solving problems that are difficult at a specific stage of the child’s development.