Psychoeducation

The process of providing children, adolescents and their families with education regarding their presenting symptoms is called psychoeducation. Specifically, it involves education about the challenges and difficulites children and adolescents may be facing including; emotional difficulties, social challenges and behavioural concerns.

The benefit of psychoeducation is that it allows individuals and their families to gain a more comprehensive understanding of experienced difficulties in order to empower them to see the possibility of change and gain 'control' of their situation. It is mainly a discussion around the following: 

• nature of concerns and identification of possible underlying causes/ contributing factors
• impact of the reported concerns on the individual and their family
• helpful tips and strategies to assist in supporting the individual
• possible assessment and suitable interventions to assist the child/ adolescent

Other areas that we may help children and adolescents with may include:

• Sibling Rivalry
• Parenting concerns
• Parent- child/ adolescent relationships
• Coping with changes in family dynamics
• Coping with loss or trauma
• Specific issues that may arise due to Foster care, same sex parents, adoption families
• Adjustment issues (e.g., coping with major life events such as separation and divorce, adjusting to parent re-partnering and step-families, or coping with a chronic or terminal illness)

CATERING TO PARENTS/ CARERS:

At ACPC Psychology, we work with the children, adolescents and their families. This involves working with the adults who are part of the young person's life. At times, the young person's presenting problem may lead the adults to develop stress and depression which can impact the relationships between members of the family, or their ability to manage their child's condition effectively. When this is the case, it is always recommended for the parent/ carer to seek individual psychological therapy to better assist them in dealing with their mental health. The individual sessions for the parent/ carer may provide them with the therapy that they would benefit from, and a space for the disclosure of their own difficulties to a mental health professional

CATERING TO ADULTS

At ACPC Psychology, we have specific experienced psychologists who have the expertise in working, not only with children and adolescents but also with adults around common issues such as:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Marital issues
• Parenting issues
• Parent child attachment issues
• Trauma and grief. 

It's never too early to address any issues, even if you seek a professional opinion. At ACPC Psychology, we assist families in managing their young children who may be presenting with a range of issues, which may include:

• Developing a 'secure attachment' with a child
• Toilet training guidance
• Feeding difficulties
• Sleeping issues
• Education regarding child's development (i.e. emotional, behaviour etc.)
• Education and training regarding dealing with challenging young child
• Assistance in behavioural management
• Counselling parents when finding parenting challenging
• Screening parent's mental health (i.e. depression, anxiety) and providing support
• Teaching appropriate responding to child's elevated emotions (i.e., regulation of frustration & anger, anxiety).