Mental Health Professions and Talking to Children About Cancer
Families may feel lost, devastated, scared, and confused when their loved one is diagnosed with cancer. Adult children are tasked with the responsibility of caring for their ill parent and looking after their own children.
It can be very emotional for adult children to console and support their children during this difficult time. Oftentimes, a cancer diagnosis of a loved one is the first time a child is experiencing illness and death.
Parents may struggle to find the resources their children need to navigate this confusing and overwhelming time.
Thankfully, there are emotional support options available to help your child cope with the illness and death of a loved one with a cancer diagnosis.
Neuropsychotherapy is one of these great resources for families to explore during this time. Clinicians understand the deep connection between the child’s brain, mind, and environment. The practice of neuropsychotherapy aims to change the brain by focusing on the life experiences that the individual is going through.
Neuropsychotherapy exercises help the individual by shifting the mind into a state to meet the brain’s needs of satisfaction to improve the health of the brain.
Therapists work to understand their interpersonal relationships, environment, and neural network involved with the child’s fears to understand their situation. The therapist can then determine which approach to use to help the child cope with their feelings.
This type of therapy can help not only children, but every member of the family get the professional emotional support they need to navigate a loved one’s cancer diagnosis.