Knowing When to Seek Professional Help for a Hurting Child

refer-professional-help

When you work with kids who are hurting from any variety of circumstances, it is important to know when you are in “over your head” and when you need to seek professional help for the child.

Know your limitations

For those us who are passionate about helping kids and/or who have worked with kids for some time, we sometimes want to do it all ourselves to make sure that child we are working with is helped. It’s easy to lose site of the fact that sometimes our ability and skills just aren’t enough. If we really want to help these kids, we need to be able to recognize when we need to get a Professional Counselor, Psychologist or Psychiatrist involved.

If you work closely with kids, there will be times when you will need to be prepared to refer a child to a professional. You should be prepared for this eventuality by compiling and keeping a list of Christian Counselor and other professionals in your area that you can refer kids (and their families) to.

Know the Signs that Professional Help May Be Needed

If a child your are working with exhibits any of the following signs consistently, you should consider the need to refer to another professional:

  1. Poor concentration
  2. Sleep problems
  3. Changes in behavior
  4. Trouble at school
  5. Aggressive behavior
  6. Withdrawn
  7. Refusal to participate in loved activities
  8. Not sharing/talking
  9. Deteriorating relationships
  10. Excessive anger
  11. Blaming themselves
  12. Behavioral changes
  13. Self-injury, cutting, eating disorders
  14. Suicidal thoughts/actions

Stay Involved

It is important to know when to refer a child to a professional. It is equally important that after you refer that child that you stay involved in their life. Referring a child to a profession does not mean that you step out of the situation. When you refer to a professional, you are not replacing yourself on the team of people helping the child, you are expanding the team!

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Written by Wayne Stocks
Wayne is the founder and executive director of Hope 4 Hurting Kids. He is a happily married father of four kids with a passion for helping young people who are going through rough times. In addition to Hope 4 Hurting Kids, Wayne previously started I Am A Child of Divorce and Divorce Ministry 4 Kids to help kids who are dealing with the disruption of their parents' relationship. These are now part of Hope 4 Hurting Kids. Wayne speaks frequently at conferences and churches on issues related to helping kids learn to deal with difficult emotions and life in modern families. Wayne lives with his wife, three youngest kids, three dogs and an insane collection of his kids' other pets outside of Columbus, Ohio. In addition to his work with Hope 4 Hurting Kids, Wayne is a partner in a local consulting firm, an avid reader, coaches his son's soccer team and is a proud supporter of Leicester City Football Club (and yes, for those in know, his affinity for the club does predate the 2016 championship). You can reach Wayne at wayne@hope4hurtingkids.com.