Depression
Everyone, including children, can feel down at times. But depression is more than just having a bad day or an occasional low mood. A child or adolescent who seems stuck in a low mood, feeling hopeless, has lost interest or pleasure in usual activities, may have depression and need therapeutic help.
You are not alone
Depression doesn’t discriminate and can be caused by many different things, such as bullying, moving school, grief and loss… Depression can impact your child or teenager’s behaviour (e.g, not getting things done at school), feelings (e.g, lacking in confidence), thoughts (e.g, ‘I am worthless’) and physical health (e.g, change of appetite).
Neurodivergent children and teens (ASD, ADHD, Learning Difficulties) are four times as likely to experience depression over the course of their lives as their neurotypical peers – it is well known that depression can be a result of bullying, isolation or other social difficulties. Repetitive thinking, especially about negative events and emotions, can also set some autistic people up for a depressive episode. At the Kids Clinic, we are experts in neurodivergence and understand the deep ties between ASD, ADHD, learning difficulties and mental health.
We can help you
- Identifying thought and behaviour patterns that are either making your child more likely to become depressed, or stopping them from getting better
- Finding encouraging activities that are rewarding, pleasant and fun, to reverse the patterns of withdrawal
- Understanding the specificities of depression in your neurodivergent child by incorporating their strengths and interests, and making abstract concepts more concrete via visual aids
- Working on emotion recognition and regulation
- Incorporating mindfulness
What to expect
Making your first appointment
Once you’ve decided to try therapy, call our kind and caring admin team on (02) 9139 0126 to discuss what you are having difficulty with and book your first appointment.
Attending the initial consultation
In the initial consultation, your therapist is looking to build a picture of how you’ve come to where you are today and what you are looking to get out of therapy. Your therapist will do their best to address any questions or concerns you may have about the process.
Creating a treatment plan together
Over the first three sessions, your therapist will work collaboratively with you to establish goals for therapy. They are designed to be specific, realistic, and tailored to your needs.
Undergoing therapy
As your therapy goes on, you will continue the process of building a trusting relationship with your therapist. You will work with them to find alternative ways of thinking and behaving, build resilience and learn new skills that will help to see yourself and the world differently, and promote helpful actions in life.
Make a booking today
Not sure where to start or have a question?
There can be lots of questions that come up when you’re trying to make a decision about whether to see a psychologist. If you have a question that we haven’t answered in our FAQ, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.