Child psychology consultation is a series of comprehensive examinations related to a child's psychological condition, including his behavior, emotions, and growth and development. Through this examination, it is expected that psychological disorders related to the child can be detected earlier and treated as soon as possible.
In consulting a child's psychology, the child's behavior that appears in the examination session, will be associated with factors that are expected to influence its appearance, such as the environment, social, genetic, emotional, educational, and cognitive of children. In addition, the child's growth and development from birth to age when the examination is carried out will also be assessed, to see any growth and development disorders that may affect the child's psychological condition.
Indications for Child Psychology Consultation
Parents can bring a child to be examined by a pediatrician, psychiatrist or child-specific psychologist, if they feel there is a psychological disorder in their child. Mental and psychological disorders in children are often not diagnosed early because the signs of symptoms are not always clearly visible.
Mental disorders in children can be characterized by changes in behavior, such as like to fight, depressed, hurt yourself or others. Other signs that need to be suspected are:
- Changes in relationships with family and friends.
- Changes in school and study habits, such as difficulty concentrating in class.
- Changes in sleep patterns.
- Changes in diet.
- Disorders of growth and development, such as being late to talk or not being able to play with children their age.
- Difficulty in expressing emotions.
- Unable to communicate with others normally.
- Has just experienced a traumatic event, such as an accident, the death of a close family member, or a victim of violence.
Warning for Child Psychology Consultation
In general, there are no special conditions that cause children to not be able to undergo a child's psychological consultation. If the child's physical condition is good and can be further evaluated, then the parent or caregiver can take the child to the doctor, psychiatrist or child psychologist to conduct a child's psychological consultation.
Based on applicable law, psychological examination of children needs to be done for children who are victims or suspected of being victims of abuse (bully) and physical, psychological, sexual, or exploitation for economic purposes, to victims of neglect, including by their parents. Authorities can carry out investigations before, during, or after a child's psychological consultation with related parties, if they are suspected of wrongdoing of children.
Child Psychology Consultation Preparation
Before undergoing a psychological consultation session for children, parents or caregivers of children need to ascertain the problems experienced by the child, since when complaints or psychological problems in children appear, what are the triggering factors or ballast symptoms, to the child's growth and development history, and the history of maternal pregnancy when the child is conceived . In addition, if needed, people outside the family who often interact with children everyday, such as neighbors or teachers, can be involved if they have important and relevant information related to the psychological condition of the child.
Child Psychology Consultation Procedure
The main step in consulting a child's psychology is interviewing and observing the child's condition. If the child is unable to communicate well with the examiner due to age or other factors, then the interview will be conducted with the child's parents or guardians. Interviews can also be conducted with the closest person of the child, if he has relevant information related to the psychological condition of the child.
In general, the content of interviews that will be carried out by the examiner to children and parents is related to the following matters:
- Psychological problems or complaints that are being suffered by children.
- Symptoms of mental or psychological disorders that appear in children, and how severe these symptoms disrupt their daily activities.
- History and psychological condition of parents and close family of children.
- Medical history and treatment of the child has ever lived.
- A child's growth history, including whether the child's weight and height are according to their age.
- Information on child development from birth. If there are disturbances or obstacles, there is a possibility it can affect the psychological condition in the future.
- Child's relationship with family, including the child's condition in the family environment.
Specifically information on child growth and development, there are several components of the examination that need to be explored further, systematically and structured, in one check table or checklist. The contents of the table that need to be examined are different for each child, depending on their age. Aspects that need to be examined in it include the child's emotional social, language or communication skills, cognitive aspects related to the ability to think, learn, and solve problems, as well as the physical or motor abilities of children.
Through the growth and development checklist, the examiner will obtain information on child development more accurately and objectively, and can be an indicator of whether the child is experiencing developmental delay or not. Delay in the development of a child can more or less affect his psychological state and cause symptoms of psychological disorders.
The child's general health condition is also an important thing to be known by a doctor or psychologist. The child will undergo a medical check-up to detect any disease that can cause psychological disorders. If the child is undergoing treatment for an illness, the parent or guardian needs to inform the examiner. This can be considered by the examiner in determining a plan for handling psychological disorders in children.
If needed, your doctor may suggest some additional tests to help determine the psychological disorders that occur in children, including:
- Blood test.
- Radiological tests and scans, such as CT or MRI scans, especially in the brain.
- Examination of children's speaking and language skills.
- Examination of children's learning abilities.
- Psychological examination to further assess the psychological aspects of children, such as the level of intelligence (IQ), personality, and tests of children's aptitude interests.
After Child Psychology Consultation
Patient data collected and collected during a child's psychological consultation will be further analyzed to determine the problems and mental disorders suffered by the child. Through this analysis, the doctor or psychologist can determine the psychic disorder suffered accurately and then plan the treatment steps that will be undertaken by the child.
The type of treatment a child will undergo depends on the diagnosis and the severity of the disorder. Generally, the treatment of mental disorders or psychiatric problems is carried out by a team that involves a psychiatrist, psychologist, doctor, nurse, and family.
Methods of treating mental disorders or psychiatric problems that can be experienced by children, include:
- Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a treatment for psychiatric problems by speaking, or through counseling with a psychiatrist or psychologist. Psychotherapy is generally done for several months, but in some cases, can be done in the long term.
- Giving medicine. The provision of drugs can not cure mental disorders suffered by patients. However, it can relieve symptoms of mental disorders and can help other therapeutic methods work more effectively. The provision of drugs to deal with mental disorders must be under the supervision of a psychiatrist. It should be noted that psychologists cannot provide drugs.
Support from parents and the environment plays a huge role in caring for and educating children with mental or psychological disorders. Children need the help of those closest to them, including family, friends, teachers, and caregivers, in order to be able to undergo treatment properly.
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