Guest article provided by: selfscience.org
They learn to regulate their emotions.
We all can experience big emotions. Children, when they do, often struggle with not knowing how to regulate their feelings when upset or sad. A therapist can assist your child in finding appropriate coping+++++++++++ skills to manage their emotions. Coping skills such as, learning breathing techniques, counting to ten, or finding something they enjoy. A therapist might also include you as the parent in sessions, or parent coaching so the therapist can teach you also how to regulate feelings. When you as a parent know how to cope with hard feelings, it is easier to teach, model, and support your child through their feelings.
They learn self-care.
Taking care of yourself is one of the many tools for your overall wellness. Going to therapy or encouraging coping skills, shows your child that it is good to take care of themselves too. Also, remember to model these behaviors, as your children always watching you.
They learn empathy and perspective-taking.
Positive mental health is not just learning coping skills, but talking out issues with a neutral party such as a therapist. This can help with perspective-taking, hearing yourself out loud can help you tune your responses. It encourages them to look at other options and assist with appropriate conflict resolution.
They learn how to ask for help.
It may be difficult to ask for help. Children that have positive mental health know they cannot do everything alone; they can ask safe adults for help when they need it. They know who to ask for help, and most importantly, the adults are responsive.
Mental health is destigmatized at a young age.
Finally, encouraging coping skills, talking to a therapist, and talking about hard feelings with your children or with safe adults normalize mental health. Children then learn at a young age that it is okay to not be okay, it is okay to need to see a therapist, and it is okay to talk about their feelings.