Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the leading therapeutic approaches used by therapists today. CBT focuses on how your thoughts, feelings and behaviors are all interconnected and influence one another. When CBT is used in treating children, it can help them to identify and challenge negative thinking patterns as well as develop positive behaviors and attitudes. CBT is an effective treatment approach for children who have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and other behavioral concerns. This post will explore how CBT for children works, effective CBT strategies for children, and how parents can use and support CBT for their children.
What is CBT?
CBT is the combination of Cognitive Therapy and Behavioral Therapy. It places an emphasis on the impact thoughts, feelings, and behaviors have on one another. CBT works by identifying and replacing negative thought patterns with more helpful thought patterns which can influence how we feel and what we do. This form of therapy also helps one to develop healthy coping skills in order to better manage varying situations one will face in life.
CBT is a structured, goal-oriented approach often used to treat both children and adults. Some of the core concepts in CBT include core beliefs, intermediate beliefs, and automatic thoughts. Core beliefs are beliefs we hold deep within ourselves about ourselves and the world around us. They are deep rooted, rigid, and not always part of our conscious mind. Intermediate beliefs are more flexible beliefs, or rules, for living. They are more in our conscious mind and are easier to identify. Automatic thoughts are the thoughts that first come to mind in a situation. CBT takes time to look at all 3 levels of thoughts to help provide long term healing.
Along with cognitive restructuring, CBT also focuses on behaviors that impact our thoughts and feelings. By learning and utilizing healthy coping skills, positive behaviors can be developed. An increase in positive behaviors can result in more positive feedback from the people around us, which in turn can help improve our mood.
Why CBT is Effective for Kids
CBT is an evidence-based treatment that research has shown to be effective for a wide variety of ages, including children. One of the reasons CBT is effective for children is due to the adaptability of the skills for all ages and its ability to actively engage a child in the process. Fortunately, since CBT focuses on basics like thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, children are fully capable of understanding these concepts. One unique way to engage children in talking about feelings is to reference the Inside Out movies. These movies created a fun way for children to identify their emotions and how they are expressed. Games, role-playing, and drawing are other ways to help engage a child in CBT.
When CBT is used for children, it can help them to feel empowered. CBT teaches children how to identify their thoughts and emotions and how to manage them. By learning these skills, it is hopeful that the child will then feel more in control of their mind and body, resulting in an increase in self-confidence.
CBT skills are also effective for kids because they are skills they can learn and use for life. Everyone, no matter their age, benefits from being able to identify maladaptive thoughts, regulate their emotions, and manage their behaviors. The sooner children learn these skills, the more likely they will be able to navigate life situations with less stress and anxiety and with more confidence and security.
Key Components of CBT for Kids
Within CBT there are many different components that can be taught to children. Here are some of the top key components that children will benefit from in therapy.
- Identifying Emotions: Children of all ages are fully capable of being able to identify basic emotions like joy, sadness, anger, disgust, and fear. Fortunately, this has been reinforced by the popular Inside Out movies. By helping children to identify what they are feeling, we are helping them to communicate more effectively what is going on in their lives. The more a child is able to effectively express themselves, the more they will feel understood by the people around them and the more likely they will get the help they need from others.
- Challenging Negative Thoughts: We all have negative and unhelpful thoughts. CBT first teaches children how to identify these thoughts. Some common negative thoughts children have include “I am not smart enough” “I can’t do this” “Nobody wants to be my friend” and “I am not good enough”. CBT then helps children learn how to challenge these negative thoughts with new positive thoughts and/or skills to prove the thoughts wrong.
- Problem Solving Skills: CBT teaches children to develop practical solutions to their challenges. Problem solving skills come alongside the child learning how to identify and manage their emotions and thoughts. These skills will need to be taught at developmentally appropriate times as well. This can be accomplished by teaching about the size of the problem and when you do and do not need the help of adults to solve problems.
- Behavioral Strategies: CBT for kids emphasizes reinforcing positive behaviors through rewards. Many times parents are encouraged to set achievable goals for their child as well as rewards for achieving those goals. This is often referred to as a token economy and is one of the most effective tools to help change behaviors in children.
- Relaxation Techniques: CBT teaches children different ways to calm their minds and bodies. Some of these techniques include deep breathing skills and progressive muscle relaxation. These are skills that they can learn to use in all areas of their lives, without it being too obvious to others around them.
How CBT is Delivered to Children
CBT for kids is delivered very similarly to how it is delivered to adults. The first way it can be delivered is in individual therapy sessions. This would look like a child coming into sessions on their own and talking and learning skills one on one with their therapist. The therapist would be someone who has experience working with children and knows how to use age-appropriate language and tools. Many times the therapist will play games or do activities with the child to help them learn the skills needed and then give them handouts to take home and practice with.
Another way CBT is delivered to children is through involving the parents in the sessions. This is typically the most common form of CBT, especially for very young children. In this format, the parents and child come together for part of the session and then the child speaks with the therapist alone for the other part. This is done so that parents can appropriately report how the child is doing and what they have been working on at home. It is also recognized that children spend the majority of their time with their parents and so bringing the parents into the session ensures more buy-in for the parents to follow through with skills at home. In this format, the child is still able to speak individually with their therapist and learn the skills they need.
The last way CBT can be delivered to children is through group therapy. This model is most typically used in the school setting. Group therapy brings together children of similar ages that can benefit from learning CBT skills. Group sessions allow the children to have a safe place to learn together and to learn from one another. This is a great way for teaching skills but can limit how much the child can process through their individual thoughts and emotions like they can in individual or family sessions.
Parental Support in CBT For Kids
Working with children in therapy requires the therapist and parents to have a trusting relationship as well. When working specifically from a CBT framework, parents will be the ones who are actively helping their children to utilize their skills on a daily basis. Parents become the child’s biggest support system and cheerleader during CBT for kids and help hold them accountable for putting into practice the skills they learn.
There are several ways parents can support their child as they go through CBT. Many times CBT for kids comes with a variety of handouts and charts that can be used at home. Parents can help by making sure these handouts are posted in a place the child sees everyday and by regularly pointing the child to reference the handouts. Parents can also prompt their child with questions or statements learned in therapy. Examples of this include “what do you think your therapist would advise you to do? “What skill did you learn in therapy this week that could help you right now?” or “have you tried to use your skills yet today?”. The more the parent engages with the CBT skills, the more likely the child will be to use and benefit from them.
CBT for Kids is one of the most effective treatments for children and families. It helps address anxiety, depression, ADHD, and many other behavioral problems that face children of all ages and all backgrounds. By getting your child into CBT, you are setting them up for success for the rest of their lives. If your child is in need of therapy and you believe CBT for Kids will be a good fit for them, please contact our office today. Integrated Care Clinic has several professionals who specialize in providing CBT for Kids and families.
