Our mental health and that of our children suffered severe damage following the war and the tense reality in which we live, but many parents and children do not seek treatment because they are afraid of the encounter. Here are some types of treatment that can be an alternative.
"Shel D's 7-year-old encounter with Sol, the therapy dog, started with hesitation," says the emotional therapist at the therapy center in Nitzan Haifa. "D was not afraid of Sol, but he had no prior acquaintance with dogs up close and he reacted with suspicion and sometimes ignoring and avoiding. You could see that this is D's regular pattern in everything he meets that is new and unfamiliar to him. D's encounter with the world is accompanied by insecurity And hesitating, and especially with the feeling that he can't and isn't capable. D. doesn't believe in himself and his abilities, so he avoids almost everything, he often cries and comes back from school almost every day with stories about what they did to him and how they hurt him. in it".
The therapist continues and tells us that D's meeting with Sol, a small dog, older and highly experienced, was new and surprising for him. The encounter with animals is unmediated and free of judgment and prejudice. Dogs accept you as you are, they don't criticize you and they don't judge you. In mediation with the therapist, "D discovered things about himself that he didn't know he was capable of doing," smiles the therapist. "He couldn't believe that he would walk a dog outside with a leash, for example. The challenge started back in the room when he had to attach the leash to Sol's harness. The seemingly simple physical action caused great frustrations and feelings of helplessness that D knows from his daily life. In addition, Sol is excited from going out and never stops moving."
The story that the emotional therapist in Nitzan Haifa shares with us is the story of quite a few boys and girls, especially in the tense times in which we live. Some children come to the treatment center due to emotional distress that begins at home and continues to the educational frameworks and the child's environment. Parents as well as children sometimes walk around with the fear of treatment, perhaps from its stigma, perhaps from the thought of the meeting with the therapist and the manner in which it will take place, but today the treatments look completely different.
One of the things that stands out in the treatment center of Nitzan Haifa is the variety of treatments adapted according to the character and approach of the child. Art therapy for children who are drawn to creative activities or movement therapy for children who express themselves through movement and body, therapy with the help of animals to strengthen connection and strengthen confidence. In all treatments for young children, the treatment is dyadic, in which one of the parents is present in the room alternately. The parent plays with the child and emphasizes a positive relationship that meets the child's emotional needs.
"How proud D felt of himself when he succeeded with guidance and finally on his own, commanding Sol to stop moving so that he could connect the leash," the emotional therapist says excitedly. "Outside, when we crossed roads, Sol had to be ordered to stop before crossing and pay attention to the road. Everything was under D's responsibility and under my supervision. The feeling that he is the one who makes it happen, that he is not completely out of control in the world, fills D with a sense of pride and satisfaction. From here we begin to see the The change. D's sense of self-confidence and his abilities began to be noticeable in other things in his life - his parents said that he cried less and spoke more about his feelings He was offended when the teacher did not turn to him."
One of the tools for the child's success in all kinds of treatments is the accompaniment and guidance of the parents, which are carried out regularly and whose purpose is to process the experiences of the treatment and also to understand their place and where they fit into the process that the child goes through. Therefore, the therapists at the Nitzan Haifa therapy center emphasize the integration of the parents in the therapy as well.
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