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Choosing Between Children’s Therapy, Reunification Therapy, or Family Therapy in San Diego

By November 2, 2022November 22nd, 2022Divorce, Family Therapy, Parenting, Teens/Children
Image of a little girl holding a bear with the parents seperated in the background. Representing how in situations of high conflict divorce like this your child and you might benefit from support of reunification counselors in San Diego, California. Where it can be determined if they need children's therapy or family therapy.

Have you decided to get a divorce, or are you in the middle of a custody battle? Are you concerned about how your children will cope with the family breaking up? Do you need professional help to support your children during this time? What type of therapy would be the best for your child?

It’s important to initiate some form of therapy as soon as you see a need for it. Delaying help for a child for weeks or months will most likely worsen the issue, especially if you are in the middle of a custody dispute.

Deciding Between Individual Therapy, Family Therapy, or Conjoint Therapy

Children’s Therapy

Image of a boy in a blue coat looking sad. Representing the struggles kids go through during custody battle especially without support from a childs therapist in San Diego, CA. Who can help them through children's therapy or family therapy.Individual therapy is where clients work on their individual issues. There are many reasons for a child to attend individual children’s therapy. Some parents anticipate problems that may negatively impact their child, so they have their child attend therapy sessions to be preventative.

Preventative and supportive individual children’s therapy sessions could help a child before:

  • Changing schools
  • Moving to a new location
  • A new sibling being born
  • A parent is deployed out of the country for months
  • Planning a divorce or separation

Another reason to consider having your child see a child therapist in San Diego individually is when they have a hard time emotionally coping with a stressor. Children often go through spurts of stress in their lives, just like adults do. But unfortunately, those stressful triggers may exceed a parent’s ability to solve them.

These are some examples to consider individual children’s therapy for your child:

  • Social anxiety with peers or being in public
  • Behavioral issues that are not getting better at school or home
  • Sleep disturbance (that medical reasons cannot explain):
    • Too little sleep
    • Stays in bed sleeping for long periods during the day
    • Can’t fall asleep at night
    • Wakes up frequently and cannot get back to sleep
    • Has a hard time waking up during the day
    • Falls asleep in class or during the day
  • Persistent nightmares
  • Persistent headaches and stomach aches that medical reasons cannot explain
  • Feels hopeless or “empty” much of the time
  • Poor concentration
  • Aggressive at school
  • Excessive anxiety
  • Eating disturbance
  • Excessive and sudden weight gain or loss that medical reasons cannot explain
  • Crying more than usual
  • Not interested in activities or anything that brings joy
  • Can’t regulate feelings having “Big” emotions overtake them into tantrums

Image of a childs therapist in San Diego talking with a smiling kid on a couch. During a custody battle your kid might benefit from either individual children's therapy like this or family therapy depending on their needs.

Family Therapy

Family Therapy is when you work on family issues. Generally, this type of therapy is helpful if you are having relationship strain between family members. Some types of issues we can address in family therapy to help reduce tension are:

  • Sibling tension or fighting
  • Communication that turns into fights
  • Lack of communication
  • Heated disagreements that are unresolved
  • Lack of boundaries
  • Mistrust of another

Conjoint Family Court Counseling With Reunification Counselors

Image of a mother and daughter meeting with one of many reunification counselors in San Diego. Representing how during custody battles parents and kids can benefit from conjoint or family therapy, or even children's therapy.Conjoint Family Court therapy also known as Reunification therapy is when we work on family issues, generally between a parent and a child who is resisting contact with that parent. Most often, it is with families involved in Family Law Court and tends to deal with high-conflict family dynamics.

Conjoint family/reunification therapy requires a careful look at what’s going on in the whole family to determine the underlying cause that affects a child so much that they resist contact with a parent. It takes more time for anyone to work in counseling when they are emotionally overwhelmed by the family situation. Most family members are very stressed when they get into Conjoint counseling.

Many times these families are going through high-conflict divorces or custody disputes. Reunification counselors approach this type of counseling as child-centered and parent-supported. First, parents learn advanced parenting skills to help reach their children emotionally who are rejecting contact. Then parents are guided in sessions with their children to help them bridge the gap in their parent-child relationship. Reunification Therapy helps to reduce conflict and increase attachment between a parent and child.

Get Support for You & Your Child Through Family, Reunification, or Children’s Therapy in San Diego, CA

Are you going through a divorce and want to get mental health support for your child? Or maybe you want guidance in reconnecting and reunifying with them? If so Family Connections Therapy has several options that can help you and your child. Our understanding counselors offer family, reunification, and children’s therapy. To figure out the best option for your family follow these steps:

  1. Reach out to talk to one of our staff members
  2. Schedule your first appointment with one of our San Diego therapists
  3. Start feeling closer to your child & giving them the support they need

Other Counseling Services We Offer in San Diego, CA

We don’t just offer counseling services for families and children. We also offer individual therapy for adults, teens, and couples. This includes depression treatment, anxiety treatment, and more! Additionally, we offer high-conflict parenting classes and social skills classes for kids. All of these services are available both in person at our San Diego-based practice and online throughout California.