Last year research found that UK school children are the least happy kids in the world. Despite living in relative affluence more than 1/3 reported being bullied at school and over half said they’d been excluded or felt outcast at some point.
The way children and teens express anxiety and stress is different to adults. Mood patterns may change and children may withdraw or be irritable. Younger children may show a regression in their behaviour, acting like they’re younger than they are or being excessively clingy. In the classroom, students who once were active participants may become less vocal or start submitting their work late or not at all.
Over the course of the pandemic, many children have been dealing with the increased stress and tension levels in their parents, sometimes leading to abuse or neglect. The NSPCC reported that calls to their helpline surged over the last 18 months with many of the calls resulting in a referral to an external agency for support. creating a generation of children plagued by loneliness and low self-esteem’.
Clinical hypnotherapy for children and adolescents can offer a non-invasive treatment for worries, anxieties and general life dissatisfaction, which results in children being able to cope easier with life’s pressures, including school, peer groups and family issues.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) – which has the largest register of qualified hypnotherapists in the UK – says while it is natural to have some fears and anxious moments, anxiety is a fear or concern that is exaggerated, and is out of proportion to the situation. However, for the child experiencing it, those feelings of anxiety can be overwhelming.
A course of therapy doesn’t need to take a long time. Just a few sessions can have your child feeling happier, more relaxed and confident. Hypnotherapy can help them break patterns of behaviour and leave behind unhelpful beliefs, easily moving forward into their futures.
If your child or teen is struggling with stress, anxiety, or dissatisfaction with life, contact an accredited NCH therapist near you by clicking here.
Want to know more about working with children? Join us on the 25th of September to hear Ali Knowles speak on the topic ‘There are no bad kids!
Children are the result of their experience and the reality tunnels they are born into. They learn from us in a good way and sometimes not in a good way.
We will be exploring the lovely saying ‘apples don’t fall far from the tree’ and so consequently share the same root knowledge as the parent tree. And how to just give the young samplings the tools to create their own realities full of self-worth, resilience and self-belief by working with the whole orchard.
We will be looking at
– why working in isolation with a child to deal with their issues can often be very long winded and only create change in the context of a given situation
– how to engage all the influences in that child’s world to create meaningful and lasting change.