child and adolescent counseling: understanding children ... · it is important to know how to make...

Child and Adolescent Counseling 1

Light University Online

Child and Adolescent Counseling: Understanding Children and

Their Issues

CACO 501

Module 1



Module One

Table of Contents

Stress and Our Kids Archibald Hart, Ph.D. ................................................................................................................................................... 3

Childhood Development: An Attachment Perspective Gary Sibcy, Ph.D. ........................................................................................................................................................ 11

Brain Development: The Neurobiology of Youth Daniel Amen, M.D. .... ....................................................................................................................................................... 18

FOUNDATIONS FOR HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS WITH KIDS



Description In this lesson, students will be introduced to the tough issues that pain today’s kids, the stresses they endure and the toll it has on them. This introductory lesson will enable people not only to assess the stress in kid’s lives and in the lives of the kids they work around, but also teach people how to stress-proof their children and create a stress-resistant environment the way God intended. Guidelines on how to effectively discipline their kids and highlights on what they owe them are given throughout this lesson.

Learning Objectives:

1. Develop a general understanding of the stressors facing today’s youth and the toll it is having on them.

2. Identify the three factors influencing stress levels in kids today and

discern and assess stress in children’s lives.

3. Implement a stress-resistant environment by knowing what is owed children and how parents can effectively discipline them.

STRESS AND OUR KIDS

VIDEO

Archibald Hart, Ph.D.



Introduction

When God created people, He built into their bodies a system with the need for downtime

and relaxation. In the fast pace society people live, it is easy to glide through a daily routine

not realizing the ways people are adding to their kids’ stress levels and infringing on their

downtime. This lesson will help students understand the many issues related to stress

plaguing today’s kids and how to effectively reduce the stress in their lives. It will provide

students with an understanding of the factors influencing stress and will teach people

God’s way of disciplining children without adding stress to their lives.

I. Challenges for Parents A. There is No Perfect Child; There is No Perfect Parent

Negative effects of increased information and over-stimulation in society

Children in 1990 graduate having been exposed to more information than their

parents in a lifetime

Children are under more stress today than their parents were growing up

B. Overstressed Children

Violence

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” –Proverbs 22:6



Depression

Obesity

Increased risk of disease

Increased suicide rates (tripled since 1958 in teenagers)

Anxiety and depression is occurring at younger ages than ever before C. Don’t Just Look at “Bad Things” in a Child’s Life as a Source of Stress:

The most damaging stress comes from “good things” in life

Characterized by over-stimulation the “good things” drive stress hormones

II. THREE Factors Influencing Stress Levels A. Child’s Personality

Difference between a child’s personality and a child’s character

Parents tend to have a difficult time accepting their child’s personality

Stress is the over arousal of the adrenaline system



How can one tell if a child is stressed?

Assessing a child’s stress

1. Immune system

2. Pain symptoms

3. Social symptoms

4. Behaviors

B. Child’s Environment

Where do you live? (I.e. rural, urban, suburban, high crime, noisy, etc.) Effects of change in a child’s life

C. Child’s Programming: (Creating a Stress-Resistant Environment)

Make home a “safe-haven”

1. What is unsafe?

i. Aggression

ii. Acting out



iii. Bad behavior

2. Do not use children

3. Do not overdo things for children

III. What Do Parents Owe Their Children?

A. Sense of Personal Worth B. Consistent Discipline C. Privacy & Respect D. Courage to Say No E. Honesty & Instruction F. Solid Values G. Spiritual Foundation

IV. Stress Proof a Child

A. Sleep



Not getting enough

Effects learning attention and anger management

B. Stimulation

Build in down time

Teach relaxation exercises

Build in exercise

C. Boundaries

D. Stress-Free Discipline—Five Rules

Good discipline gives adequate warning ahead of time as to “What behavior is not acceptable”

Establish a consequence

Always give warning

Apply consequence consistently



Make allowance for forgiveness and reconciliation Bibliography Cloud, H. & Townsend J. (2002). Boundaries. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Cloud, H. & Townsend J. (2001). Boundaries With Kids. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Hart, A. (2005). Stress and Your Child: The Hidden Reason Why Your Child Maybe Moody,

Resentful, Or Insecure. Nashville, TN: Word Publishing. Swenson, R. (1999). The Overload Syndrome: Learning To Live Within Your Limits.

Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress.



Study Questions

1. What are some of the present-day factors contributing to the high levels of stress in today’s kids? How are some of these factors different for children today than they were for children in the past? What has been the consequence for children?

2. What physical effects do high levels of stress have on children? What are the symptoms of an overly stressed child? What are the three ingredients that influence these stress levels? What is the difference between a child’s personality and character?

3. It is important to know how to make your home a “safe-haven” for a child. List five “unsafe” factors. What does one owe children?

4. How does a person program a child to cope with stress? What are four ways to stress-proof a child?

5. What is the difference between discipline and punishment? List the five rules to stress free discipline.

Soul Care Notes

2 Samuel 22 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 James 1:2-4 Proverbs 22:15 Hebrews 12:5-11



Description There is no question that God designed people for relationships. At the core of relationships lie beliefs about the world, others and self. The way people form these beliefs is influenced by the relationship with primary caregivers. This lesson will teach students the foundational elements of attachment theory, self regulation, and the five principles to fostering a secure attachment in kids.


1. Define self-regulation and have a general understanding of the three tasks stemming from self-regulation.

2. Identify how attachment is manifested throughout the different stages

of childhood and adolescence and implement the five principles of fostering a secure attachment.

3. Implement self-care into one’s own life as a parent or child worker in order to model secure attachment in the lives of the kids one influences.

CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT: AN ATTACHMENT PERSPECTIVE

VIDEO

Gary Sibcy, Ph.D.



Introduction

God designed people for relationships and their attachment to a primary caregiver early in

life becomes the basis for how they do or don’t do relationships later into adulthood. This

lesson teaches people how to foster secure relationships and a safe environment for the

kids in their care. From infancy to adolescence, students will learn how kids “do”

attachment and what to expect from them in each phase. Students will also be introduced

to the concept of self-regulation and its role in a child’s ability to build intimacy with

others. May God’s hand be on us all in our responsibility to raise up securely attached kids.

I. Basic Principles of Attachment Theory

A. Self Regulation

B. A Child’s Ability to Self-Regulate is Tied to Relationship with Parent C. Safe-Haven D. Secure Base

II. Three Main Tasks from Self-Regulation A. Ability to Use Language and Label Internal Experience

Using signals and words to become basis for problem solving

Brain development



B. Ability to Empathize with Others

C. Ability to have intimate relationships

Allows a person to share his/her feelings

Allows a person to problem solve

Ability to experience discomfort III. Secure Attachment

A. Ability for Caregivers to be Responsive to Children’s Needs

B. Different Children have Different Needs

Sensory profile

Motor skills Regulatory patterns

Intimacy: “The ability to tolerate or endure the negative feelings you experience when you get close to another person” –Dr. Gary Sibcy

Parent’s sensitivity is vital. It refers to the ability to adjust a parenting style to fit each child’s specific needs.



IV. Heart of Attachment: Principles of the Secure Base System A. Seek Close Proximity to Caregivers

B. Safe-Haven Experience

C. Secure Base V. Building a Secure Base: Infancy to 4 Years

A. Calm the Infant Down B. Teach the Infant to Signal There is a Problem C. Help Move Language and Development from Signals to Words

VI. Building a Secure Base: Middle Childhood—Learning Within Limits

A. Developing Alternative Attachment Figures: (i.e. Teachers) B. How well kids can handle feelings determines how well they get along with

other kids.



VII. Building a secure base: Pre-adolescence/ Adolescence

A. Peers as Attachment Figures

B. Internalization of Parent’s Values

VIII. FIVE Key Principles of Fostering Secure Attachment in Children

A. One to One Time—‘Floor Time’

B. Emotion Coaching

Kids react differently to emotion Help kids put words to their emotion

C. Firm, Clear Limits

Provides kids with predictability and consistency Opportunity to help them negotiate

D. Create a Stable Family Life Parents balance work with family relationships Establish rituals



E. Self Care for Parents

Parents emotional state influences child’s attachment “You are only as strong as the support system around you” Do enjoyable things without the kids

1. Work on one’s marriage

2. Use church as encouragement and support system for the family Bibliography Clinton, T. & Sibcy, G. (2006). Why you do the things you do: The secret to healthy

relationships. Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers. Dobson, J. (2003). Emotions: Can you trust them? Ventura, CA: Regal Books.



Study Questions

1. What is self-regulation and why is it so important? What are the three main tasks of self-regulation? Describe each.

2. What does Gary Sibcy mean by parental sensitivity? He also mentioned that different children have different needs. What are some of the ways children’s needs differ?

3. List the FOUR principles of the secure base system at the heart of attachment. How are these played out throughout infancy? Middle childhood? Preadolescence/ Adolescence?

4. What is floor time? What are the other four principles to fostering secure attachment in kids? Describe them.

5. What is the basis for problem solving?

Soul Care Notes

Lamentations 3:22-25 Jeremiah 9 Deuteronomy 4:9-10 Deuteronomy 6:6-9



Description Over 250,000 new cells form in a child’s brain every minute. By the age of ten, these cells quit producing. The impact adults have on a child’s brain from the day of conception is simply astounding. This lesson will teach both expecting mothers and new mothers how to foster healthy brain development in their kids from the time they are in the womb. Covering topics such as nutrition, stress, language development, attention deficit disorder, relaxation responses, and even sports a child will play, students will learn what to do and what not to do for healthy brain development in the children they will care for.


1. Identify the ways you can foster healthy brain development in children from the womb through adolescence.

2. Recognize danger signs for attention deficit disorder, depression, and

anxiety in children and adolescents.

3. Clearly define rules that should be set with kids which foster positive self-esteem and healthy bonding.

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT: THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF YOUTH

VIDEO

Daniel Amen, M.D.



Introduction

The Bible encourages people to take care of their bodies describing them as the temple of

God. As a result, believers have a special responsibility as caregivers to make sure their

children are learning how to take care of their bodies. This lesson reveals the many

different physical, mental and emotional processes connected to brain function and what

caregivers must do to promote healthy brain development in kids.

I. Expecting Mothers Should

A. Take Multi-Vitamins: (i.e. B-vitamins, fish oil)

B. Stay Away from a Great Deal of Stress

C. Get Adequate Sleep II. After Baby is Born

A. Optimize the Child’s Environment

B. Bond with the Baby – Becoming Familiar with Voice

C. Put Investments in the Bank – Spending Time Together

The brain starts to develop on day 21 in utero.



III. Enhancing Brain Development in a Child: What Not to Do

A. Never Hit Child Near the Head B. Don’t Put Child under a lot of Stress

C. Don’t Allow Them to Play Hard Hitting Sports: (i.e. Boxing, Tackle Football, Soccer Balls)

IV. Enhancing Brain Development in a Child A. Take Care of One’s Own Health B. Feed Children the Right Foods; “When they eat right, they think right.” C. Create Environments that Foster Learning; “It’s never too late.”

V. How to Recognize Something is Wrong

A. Changes Associated with School: (i.e. Grades, performance, and behavior)

B. Changes in Relating to Others: (i.e. Relationships with peers, family, etc.)



VI. Attention Deficit Disorder

A. Video Games/ Television B. Vitamins

C. Relaxation Response

D. Prayer/ Meditation

VII. Teenage/ Early Adult Years

A. Depression – 11 Years, on Average, from Time of First Symptoms to Seeking Treatment

B. What Parents Feed Children Matters

Spend time with and listen to kids

Stay bonded and connected to kids

Special time = 20 minutes a day they lead play

“Dad’s need to spend time bonding better with their kids; Mom’s need to spend more time listening to them.” –Dr. Daniel Amen



VIII. Rules to Teach One’s Children

A. Treat Others with Respect

B. Tell the Truth

C. Listen to what Mom/ Dad Say the First Time

D. Teach Them to Clean Their Room

Correlated to high self-esteem (i.e. household responsibilities)

Positive reinforcement

Bibliography

Amen, D. (1999). Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program For Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, And Impulsiveness. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press.

Amen, D. (2002). Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You To See And

Heal The 6 Types Of ADD. New York, NY: Berkley Trade. Amen, D. (2005). Making a Good Brain Great: The Amen Clinic Program for Achieving and

Sustaining Optimal Mental Performance. New York: NY, Harmony Publishing.

“Discipline out of self-control, not anger.” Dr. Daniel Amen



Study Questions

1. What should expecting mothers do to help their child’s brain develop? List a few ways one can enhance a child’s brain development after birth? What are some things someone shouldn’t do?

2. Why is it so important to begin teaching language and exposing children to music at a very early age?

3. What are some ways people can help children with Attention Deficit Disorder? What activities are helpful for children with ADD? What activities are harmful?

4. How can a parent/ caregiver increase brain development and build trust in a child’s life? What is “special time”? How is this similar to what Gary Sibcy calls “floor time?”

5. What are the rules Daniel Amen suggests parents should set with their children? Why is positive reinforcement so important? What is the best way to discipline children?

Soul Care Notes

Matthew 10:29-31 Jeremiah 1:5 Jeremiah 1:8-10 Psalm 139

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