Child and Early life Psychologists

The child psychologist, as the name suggests, deals with children’s emotions and feelings especially anger in response to provocative situations.

The child psychologists study and analyse why the children feel angry and suggest ways to help them control their anger and channelize their energies more constructively.

The child psychologists study the children’s anger through three steps:

1. They study the causes of the origin of the anger in children. Children can become angry when they face any of these situations.

• Deprived of their possessions including their space
• Physically assaulted, punched, pushed or hit
• Taunted, teased or insulted
• Ignored or rejected, for example, not allowed to participate in games, sports or other group activities
• Forced to act against their wish such as washing their hands, taking bath, studying.

2. The psychologists study the ways the children express their anger; for example, they make faces, cry, sulk, run away, fight against the aggressors or seek protection of their elders or superiors.

3. The psychologists counsel the teachers and parents about how they should try to channelize the anger of the children through creative activities or social interaction in and outside their families. They advise them on how to encourage the children to participate in games, sports and co-curricular activities.

4. The child psychologists also hold counselling and discussion sessions with the students and their parents individually and in groups. The children express their views candidly about their problems with their peers, parents and teachers.

5. They advise the parents and teachers on how to regulate the reactions of the children when they are too young to understand and control their emotions. The psychologists also counsel them about how they should allow their wards to think for themselves as they grow older.

6. They encourage the children to describe their feelings in words. For example, a child say he is ‘annoyed’ ,’irritated’, ‘feeling mad’, ‘angry’ ,’feeling bad’ etc instead of staying mute. Basically, they want the children to come out with what they are feeling so that they can advise accordingly.

7. The psychologists use books, stories, examples and practical experiences to help the children to understand how anger can be a self-destructive state of mind. They encourage them to understand the negative results of anger without being judgmental about it.