Have you ever looked at your kid(s) and thought, “Wish they came with a guidebook!”? They don’t, unfortunately, but sometimes that’s exactly what would help. Although parents are certainly the experts on their own kids – more so than any professional – oftentimes they feel stuck, especially when they’ve already tried all of the tools in their belts. As humans, we tend to parent the way we were parented (which doesn’t always work), and let’s face it, kids definitely push our buttons from time to time! Family counseling can help us figure out how we can best care for ourselves, so that we can be better parents.
Bridge City Counseling Offices is a collective of mental health practitioners who provide that guidance for families, especially during particularly tough developmental stages in kids’ lives. Some common reasons for which families seek counseling are: transitioning into kindergarten (separation anxiety), bedwetting, friendships, school behavior, sibling relationships, and emotion regulation.
Emotion regulation is a big one for elementary-aged kids, who have big feelings that they have a hard time explaining. About 80% of their emotion communication is non-verbal, so it can sometimes be difficult for parents to understand exactly what kids are feeling. When kids feel those big emotions, they’re thinking from their “lizard brains,” which are more protective and instinctual than rational, and their bodies are operating from their parasympathetic systems. This means that they pick up on the emotions around them: if parents are upset, they’re upset. If parents are anxious, they’re anxious. If parents are calm, they sense that and are more able to calm down. Counseling can help parents figure out how to care for themselves, so that they’re able to stay calm while their kids are experiencing these tough feelings and can be a solid support for them.
Adoption counseling encompasses all that comes with family counseling, along with special attention to struggles that are central to adoptive families. Bridge City counselors who specialize in adoption can help families work through challenges such as attachment, grief, abandonment, and belonging. Adopted children are often curious about their birth families, especially in closed or international adoption.
For families who have adopted transracially, raising kids in a multicultural environment opens the doors to questions about cultural belonging and personal identity. Families can work with a counselor to navigate those conversations in age-appropriate and respectful ways and glean extra support to fine-tune what they’re already doing.
Bridge City’s model is counseling-focused, providing medication from nurse practitioners when necessary as a supplement to the counseling process. To learn more about the office and the mental health professionals, visit their website at bridgecitycounseling.com or call 503-954-2188.
Karel Chan is a Masters student at Portland State University and counseling intern at Bridge City Counseling Offices in inner SE Portland. For more information, visit karelchancounseling.wordpress.com.
