They look to their parents, and siblings for help and support. Families tend to use counseling when parents are having trouble understanding or responding to their child's needs. The child may be having difficulty in school, with peers, or at home. Parents tend to be especially stressed by their children when they themselves are going through a hard time. The support they find in counseling can sometimes make a significant difference in how they handle the normal stresses of being a parent.
Children suffer directly from loss, trauma, dislocation, and abuse.
They are very sensitive and react to crises their parents are going through, such as alcoholism, substance abuse, domestic violence, marital dysfunction, and unemployment. Some of the symptoms children under stress will show are depression, defiance, anxiety, fear, hyperactivity, distraction, and acting out behaviors. When a parent brings in a child with a problem, the entire family becomes part of the assessment process. Generally, especially with younger children, parents have a greater impact on the child than does the therapist. It is important that parents understand their relationships with their children if they are to help them.