Back to School Blues: Helping Your Child Adjust After Summer Break
The carefree days of summer are winding down, and the new school year approaches. While some children eagerly anticipate reunions with friends and exciting classroom adventures, others might experience a wave of “Back to School Blues.” This transition can be stressful for children of all ages, especially after a relaxing and unstructured summer break.
If you live in Wichita, Valley Center, Newton, Maize, Colwich, or any surrounding area, Fiat Family Services can help! Here are some tips to ease your child’s anxieties and ensure a smooth transition back to school:
Acknowledge Their Feelings
It’s normal for children to feel apprehensive about the end of summer freedom and the return to routines and expectations. Validate their emotions and listen to their concerns without judgment.
Re-establish Routines Gradually
A few weeks before school starts, gently adjust sleep schedules and bedtimes. Start incorporating homework time or reading sessions into the daily routine to ease them back into the academic mindset.
Plan for Positive Experiences
Talk about exciting aspects of the new school year, like reuniting with friends, participating in extracurricular activities, or even shopping for new school supplies.
Practice Makes Perfect
For younger children, role-play classroom scenarios to help them feel prepared for social interactions and following teacher instructions.
Open Communication is Key
Maintain open communication with your child throughout the summer and leading up to the school year. Encourage them to express their worries and ask questions freely.
When Extra Support is Needed
If your child’s anxieties are severe or persisting, impacting their well-being, consider seeking professional help. Fiat Family Services, conveniently located in Valley Center, Kansas, offers child therapy services to families in Wichita and surrounding areas. Our experienced therapists can provide support and strategies to address anxieties, social challenges, and academic concerns, ensuring your child thrives throughout the school year. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
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Exploring the Impact of Technology on Child Development: Therapeutic Insights
In the digital age, technology plays a prominent role in the lives of children. The influence of screens, gadgets, and online experiences can be profound, shaping child development in both positive and challenging ways. As parents and caregivers in Wichita, KS, and Valley Center, KS, strive to navigate this ever-changing landscape, it is essential to consider the therapeutic insights that shed light on the impact of technology on child development. In this article, we’ll explore the complexities of this issue and the therapeutic strategies that can help children thrive in the digital age.
The Digital Age and Child Development:
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Positive Aspects of Technology:
Technology offers various educational and developmental benefits for children. Educational apps and interactive platforms can enhance learning experiences, develop problem-solving skills, and encourage creativity.
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Challenges of Excessive Screen Time:
Excessive screen time can lead to issues such as decreased physical activity, sleep disturbances, and diminished face-to-face social interactions, impacting children’s physical and emotional well-being.
The Therapeutic Insights:
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Balancing Act:
Therapists in Wichita, KS, and Valley Center, KS, often stress the importance of balance. Encouraging a healthy balance between screen time and other activities like outdoor play, reading, and creative pursuits is vital.
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Screen Time Guidelines:
Therapists work with families to establish clear guidelines for screen time. By setting limits and monitoring content, parents can help children use technology in a balanced and constructive manner.
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Emotional Well-being and Technology:
The emotional impact of screen time cannot be ignored. Therapists assist children in recognizing and processing their emotions, particularly those associated with online experiences, cyberbullying, and social media pressure.
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Parental Involvement:
Therapists emphasize the importance of parental involvement. Open communication and active engagement with children’s online activities help parents guide their child’s digital journey effectively.
Incorporating Technology in Therapy:
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Technology as a Therapeutic Tool:
In child therapy, technology can be used as a tool to engage children and make therapy more accessible. Interactive therapeutic apps and online resources can support children’s emotional development.
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Mindful Tech Usage:
Therapists encourage children to use technology mindfully, teaching them to recognize the signs of screen addiction and providing strategies to break free from excessive screen time.
Conclusion:
The impact of technology on child development is a multifaceted issue. While technology offers numerous benefits, its misuse can affect children’s well-being. Therapists in Wichita, KS, and Valley Center, KS, are equipped with therapeutic insights to help children navigate the digital age successfully. By maintaining a balance, setting guidelines, addressing emotional challenges, and incorporating technology into therapy, we can ensure that technology plays a positive role in child development, enhancing their emotional and cognitive growth.
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Why Therapy is Important During a Global Pandemic
For all of us, our lives completely changed around March. Jobs and health insurance were lost, schools shut down, and many parents had to figure out how they were going to be able to work when their children were home. During this time, we may not have understood the impact that these changes caused on our mental health. Not only our mental health, but our children’s mental health.
I often hear a lot of parents say “my child is so resilient” or “my child doesn’t understand what is going on.” They are correct that children are resilient, but what they don’t understand is what their child may have went through during the past six months. Our children were forced to stop in-person school, and no longer had the opportunity to see their friends, teachers, and staff at their school. Many of our younger children have no means of communicating with their friends. Not only was the social aspect taken away from them, but for some so was the safety. There are so many children in our community that fear being home due to drug/alcohol/physical/emotional abuse. School is what they consider their safety zone where they are able to have food, comfort, and a place where they feel important. So when children are acting out or hiding away in their rooms, remember that they have had to change their way of living as well, and they are trying to process all of the changes that were forced upon them.
Whether you have chosen to send your child back to in-person setting or decided to do online learning, let us remember that school is no longer the same as it once was. School may not feel like the safe zone anymore to some children. Let’s give children some grace, love and understanding. If your child or if you know of a child that is struggling, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. This is our job! We will help them process the changes, process their emotions and help them get through this time. Our children matter, and so do their emotions and thoughts.
Feel free to contact us, or schedule an appointment.
Lindsey Zimmerman, LMSW
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Why People Choose Fiat Family Services
Finding a mental health therapist in Wichita isn’t an easy task, especially a child therapist.
You want the very best for yourself, your family, and your children. It can be an overwhelming and a daunting task, because there are a lot of therapists in this area! You can narrow it down by selecting if you want a therapist that focuses on a certain age group, or even the reason “why” you are needing therapy. For example, you may want a therapist that works with children, but specifically children with Anxiety. This will help narrow your search some, but you will end up finding many therapists that can do this. Finding a therapist that will be a good fit for you or your family, is the next step. This is done by reading a therapist’s biography, seeing a photo of them, and possibly their office. From there, you can try and judge if this is where you would like to do therapy. Your last step is to call or contact them to see if they have any availability for the initial visit.
This is what makes Fiat Family Services in Wichita stand out.
We are a one stop place where you are able to manage everything! We have a state of the art website and use cutting edge therapy management software. You can set up the initial visit by going on our website and selecting a time and day that works best for your schedule, do all paperwork on your computer, tablet or phone, enter in all your insurance information and credit card information. All of the insurances that Lindsey Zimmerman is In-Network with is listed on our website, and it is always kept up to date. If your insurance isn’t listed, there are other options such as self-pay or using your Health Savings Account debit card, if you have one.
Another piece that makes Fiat Family Services stand out above others, is how easy it is to have a Teletherapy (video) session. It doesn’t matter if you are in the Wichita area or not, with Teletherapy you can be anywhere in the state of Kansas and still be connected with our therapists. With our current health crisis, it is sometimes unknown if you will have to be at home for a period of time. If that is the case, we have you covered. With a few clicks you are able to connect to our video session platform and begin your session stress free. This can be done on any device with a video camera (phone, tablet, computer). Our Teletheapy video software is secure and HIPAA compliant.
Lastly, we all forget about the appointments that we have (especially if you have more than one person to look out for), so that is why we have automated appointment reminders that remind you 48 and 24 hours before your session! We strive to make your life as stress free as we can.
If you are looking for a child therapist in Wichita, adult therapist, Wichita Prepare Enrich certified therapist, or Kansas Teletherapy (video therapy), then look no further than Fiat Family Services of Wichita.
Interested? Book here with Lindsey Zimmerman, LMSW
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