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Evaluation And Treatment Of Children And Teens
For many young adults, going away to college is eagerly anticipated. Students may expect an exciting university experience, with new levels of freedom
Dr. Jacqueline Titus is a clinical psychologist with advanced training and experience in the evaluation and treatment of children and adolescents with emotional, behavioral, or relational issues. Specializing in childhood and adolescent psychology, including concerns such as ADHD, peer and friendship problems, adjusting to divorce, parent-child relationships, and other behavioral challenges, Dr. Titus provides a safe, supportive environment where children can feel comfortable communicating about their problems. With empathy, encouragement, skill building, and support; children learn to express their feelings and find solutions to life challenges; and parents learn new ways to interact with their children.
With Dr. Titus’ guidance, children and teens can learn to understand and then change their behaviors, improve their relationships, increase their self-esteem, and live happier, healthier lives.
Psychotherapy with children often involves playing, drawing, creating, pretending, and talking to explore feelings and resolve problems. Teens often feel comfortable talking through their problems, but for young children, play is a valuable way to express and work through the difficulties with which they are struggling. The approach used by Dr. Titus will depend on the developmental level of your child.
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Seeking Help
For new students who are uncomfortable initiating relationships, a college campus can seem like a lonely place. Roommate conflicts or interacting with others from different backgrounds are often new experiences. For others, extracurricular activities, clubs and organizations can challenge time management skills. All the new routines, new responsibilities, and increased workloads can leave some students behind. Finding the right balance of activities can reduce
The decision to seek the help of a psychologist is often a difficult choice for parents to make. Sometimes children go through phases and parents simply wait for their children to “grow out of it”. However, sometimes a behavior persists or is severe. Since you as parents are in the best position to recognize if your child or adolescent is having problems that warrant professional help, the following list includes some of the signs that your child or teenager could benefit from therapy:
Changes in school performance
Frequent physical complaints or illnesses
Hyperactivity, fidgeting, difficulty paying attention
Persistent nightmares
Persistent disobedience or aggression
Defiant opposition to authority figures
Unexplained tantrums or anger
Injury to self or others
Severe mood swings
Sexual acting out
Changes in sleeping or eating habits
Prolonged negative attitude or mood
Severe worry, depression or anxiety
Comments about suicide
Other unusual behaviors, thoughts, or feelings
If you are a parent who has a growing concern that your child or teen has an emotional or behavioral problem that needs more assistance than a school counselor or clergyman can provide, contact Dr. Titus, or call 517-599-4934 to arrange a consultation. Psychological Services Of East Lansing is conveniently located to serve patients in the East Lansing, Lansing, and Okemos areas of Michigan.