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Posts Tagged ‘child psychologist in Indore’

Understanding CBT and Counseling Techniques used for Better Mental Health

Posted in daily writings and musings of the psychologist, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Cognitive Behavior Therapy is recommended to clients to get the necessary treatment for their negative thoughts to bring about the desired positive change .

The key principle behind CBT is that our thought patterns affect our emotional understanding of the events which, in turn, can affect behavior and subsequent interaction with the people we interact with .

CBT also is believed to make us aware of our own negative emotions influencing our thought patterns .CBT helps us analyse and understand others behaviour as elicited by our own emotional understanding of the situation.

CBT highlights how negative thoughts can bring about negative feelings and actions.Similarly how negative emotions can interpret a positive event ,in negative tones . But, if we reframe our thoughts in a more positive way, it can lead to more positive feelings and helpful behaviors.Or if we work on developing positive emotions about ourselves and situations the thoughts will become more accepting .

While conducting CBT the therapist trains the patient to recognise such negative reading by his mind and how to reinterpret the situation with a positive frame of mind. The patient can continue to use these skills so learnt, in all difficult situations and overcome depression,anxiety or other mood disorders .

Depending on the issue the patient is dealing with and the expected specific goals of the CBT , the therapist can make use of several ways to administer CBT. It will basically involve :

  • identifying specific problems or issues in the client’s day to day life.
  • Helping the client become aware of unproductive thought patterns and how they can impact his or her life
  • identifying negative thinking and reshaping it in a way that changes how he or she feels
  • learning new behaviors and putting them into practice

After speaking with the client and learning more about the issue the client wants help with, the therapist will decide on the best CBT strategies to use.

CBT involves making use of the appropriate combination of a few the following 9 strategies:

1. Cognitive restructuring or reframing

This involves taking a hard look at negative thought patterns. When we tend to over-generalize, and apprehend that the worst is about to happen , or tend to get into too much details for every thing we do we find it difficult to act. Our thoughts can prevent us from doing what we want to do and create havoc in our life.

The therapist in this situation will help us identify the negative patterns of our thoughts and inaction . He trains us as to how to reframe those thoughts so they’re more positive and productive and propel our action taking connative behaviour.

For example: “I am not valued in my office because I’m totally useless” can become “I may not be the best worker , but I’m as valuable an employee as can be and I contribute the same way as others do .”

2. Guided discovery

In guided discovery, the therapist will acquaint himself with our viewpoint. Then he will ask questions designed to challenge our beliefs and broaden our thinking.

The client might be asked to give evidence that supports clients assumptions, as well as evidence that does not.

In the process, the client will learn to see things from other perspectives, especially ones that he or she may not have considered before. This can help client choose a more helpful path.

3. Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy can be used to confront fears and phobias . The therapist will slowly expose you to the things that provoke fear or anxiety, while providing guidance on how to cope with them in the moment.This can be done in small increments. Eventually, exposure can make us feel less vulnerable and more confident in our coping abilities whenever the anxieties build up.

4. Journaling and thought records

Putting down your thoughts in writing is a very simple yet effective way of getting in touch with your emotions.One can list down repeated negative thoughts that occur frequently and disturb your homeostasis .It will certainly help to write down your positive thoughts also as would be the inclusion of new thoughts and new behavior for day to day interaction.

5. Activity scheduling and behavior activation

When you are in a negative frame of mind you tend to put off activities in fear or in anxiety.Writing schedules of such activities and visualising them before you begin practicing them can give you the confidence .With such a positive confidence it becomes easy to overcome negative emotions connected with such activities.

6. Behavioral experiments

Behavioral experiments are used for anxiety disorders that involve catastrophic imagining . The psychologist here asks you to express your apprehension as to what will happen if you perform the given task that you otherwise have been dreading to perform. Once you have (reluctantly ) completed the given task you are asked to talk about whether the apprehension came true. Over time, you may start believing that your apprehensive anxiety is not very valid as nothing that you expected to happen actually took place.

7. Meditation, Relaxation and stress reduction techniques.

Perceptive meditation, progressive muscle relaxation and positive imagery building exercises are undertaken to bring about a total positive control over mind ,body and soul to eliminate the phobias,fears anxieties and depression.

8. Role playing

Role playing can help us overcome negative thinking , apprehension and work through difficult relationship and situations. A role play out done with the help of therapist can lessen fear and can be used for:

  • improving problem solving skills
  • gaining familiarity and confidence in certain situations
  • practicing social skills
  • assertiveness training
  • improving communication skills

9. Successive approximation through small successes

This involves taking tasks that seem overwhelming and breaking them into smaller, more achievable steps. Each successive step builds upon the previous steps so you gain confidence as you go, bit by bit.

To know more about CBT and undertake the same ,please get in touch with us mansikpramarsh@gmail.com

917314263087

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Autism Spectrum Disorder: Managing Behavioral Difficulties in ASD Children

Posted in daily writings and musings of the psychologist, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »

We regularly get queries from young parents asking for support to understand the behaviour of their wards suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder and the behaviour difficulties faced by the affected children.

Children suffering from ASD have behaviour issues which are quite common. These issue relate to more about their communication, social interaction,working within the structured schedule and processing of the sensory information.However if parents are trained and equipped with the appropriate strategies , much of the stress and strain can be reduced bringing relief to the family and the child.They can often be managed through effective activity and behavior management.

There are many difficulties, ASD children face in their behaviour. These issues can be identified as difficulties in communication, issues of  sensory processing, social interaction, and physical balance issues that can make active play more difficult for these kids. Parents and caregivers need to understand that  such behaviours as appear inappropriate are in reality symptoms of the difficulties the child with ASD is facing in his her day to interaction and communicate with others .

Understanding the Causes of Inappropriate Behaviour

The main causes of behavioral difficulties are generally as follows:

Difficulties with communication: Children with ASD struggle with both verbal and expressive language, understanding what is being said to them, and comprehending non-verbal communication cues. This can, become quite frustrating for both the communicator and the child .The child may not be into problem behaviour but to the other person it would appear so ,which causes frustration at both ends.

Difficulties with social situations: The difficulties presented by social situations for a person with ASD are much more than mere communication; people with ASD struggle to understand others’ points of view and grasp the “unspoken rules” of social interaction that state when to, begin and when end a conversation. They are in no position to get the emotional nuances of social communication. Due to all of this, children with ASD may avoid social contact, and they are more likely to experience being harrassed and feel overwhelmed by unnecessary intervention by others in their life .

Difficulties with unstructured time: People with ASD have a hard time dealing with situations where there is no set schedule, as their brains have a hard time sequencing activities on their own out of the given timetable and schedule. Due to this some of the children with ASD are more likely to act out during the period which is not scheduled earlier eg.free period or suddenly declared break times, as they feel confused and frustrated.

Difficulties processing sensory information: Those with ASD often have over or under-sensitive senses, leading to a tendency to get overwhelmed or to seek attention to such a degree that it becomes embarrassing for the accompanying parent and the person interacting with the child.. ASD affected child may react strongly to an unwanted touch, be very selective and particular food eater, get largely disturbed and irritated by loud noises ( be it a noise coming from far off .The child feels unable to concentrate on account of background noise and reacts adversely.

Additionally, one should always remember that people with ASD do not easily adapt to change.Parents managing their ASD ward should be aware of the changes being brought about in their environment or schedule that can trigger problem behaviours.A sudden bout of Illness (especially seizures, which ASD individuals may be prone to) can also trigger adverse reactions as the child with ASD cannot give verbal expression to his or her pain. Doctors advise parents to use picture posters or diagrams to help children express where they are feeling pain.

Dealing with Problem Behaviour

It’s key to understand that the child is using these behaviours to try to communicate something to you, or to achieve some specific function. It’s vital to look under the surface of these behaviours so as to discover the unaddressed needs below. Try to asses what you child is trying to tell you, rather than reacting to the behaviour itself (resist “punishing”; few ASD children actually understand the cause and effect implied by it). It’s also advised to keep a “behaviour diary” or chart so that one can identify patterns in a child’s behaviour and from there, isolate what’s triggering the child’s episodes. One can then develop strategies to avoid or manage the triggers (be sure to introduce these slowly, as sudden changes in routine will do more harm than good). Likewise, expect the child to initially resist the change; stay patient and be consistent with it regardless, and make sure that other family members, teachers, and caregivers are also keeping consistent with it.

One should also develop supportive therapies to help the child shed his or her frustration; these typically include: exercise, brief time out periods in a quiet, darkened space, and relaxing activities. Set achievable treatment goals and don’t push too hard for rapid improvement, as people with ASD can struggle to integrate new knowledge and change behaviours.

To get the best out of a child with ASD, it’s often helpful to employ the following strategies:

  • Speak clearly and precisely (and use short sentences) in order to work around the difficulties that arise with complex verbal communication.
  • Use visual supports. Many children with ASD process visual information more easily than other forms of information. Timetables can be helpful to assist children in understanding schedules.
  • Create “social stories”. These are brief descriptions (using words and images) of situations, events, or activities that help tell a child with ASD what to expect during an upcoming social situation.
  • Help the child identify his or her emotions. This is often challenging to a child with ASD; use visual aids (such as “stress scales”) to help the child quantify what he or she is feeling and how intensely, and help the child learn via physical associations, such as showing him or her that anger connects to a reddening of the face, stomach pain, the urge to cry, etc.
  • Help them learn to relax. Children with ASD find it hard to relax, and can be very “intense” and obsessive in their interests. Try to work relaxing activities or some quiet “alone time” into his or her daily routine.
  • Make their environment more soothing. As children with ASD can become overwhelmed by sensory information, it’s important to ensure their environments are as free as possible of sensory irritants. Flickering lights, devices that give off background noise, scented candles, etc., should be removed.
  • Give praise, in the form your child likes best. Praise is as important to an ASD child’s learning as it is to most children’s learning, but depending on their unique needs, praise may have to be modified to suit the child. For example, some may not like hugs, some may not recognize verbal praise. Often visual cues like stickers on charts or time doing a favourite activity as a reward are effective forms of praise. Praise should be as immediate as possible so that the child can assess cause and effect.

Seeking Help

 If your child’s behaviour is placing him or herself at risk, or others at risk, you should seek professional help by a psychologist or psychiatrist, rather than trying to handle the situation on your own.

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