Improving your Child's Behavioral Health

How behavioral health counseling from your pediatricians in Clarkston, Smyrna, and Lithonia, GA, can help your child

Being a parent is demanding, especially when it comes to your child’s behavior. It’s hard to distinguish between normal testing of boundaries and abnormal behavior. Don’t worry because your pediatrician is here to help. Behavioral counseling can be the answer.

The pediatricians at Decatur Pediatric Group offer comprehensive medical services for children, including behavioral health counseling. They have three convenient office locations in Clarkston, Smyrna, and Lithonia, GA, to help your child.

First let’s look at normal behavior, which is all part of growth and development. Your child may:

• Test boundaries, using defiant behavior
• Show autonomy, by withdrawing from you and doing things independently
• Act out, as a coping mechanism to deal with a major life change

There are also some more serious behaviors that could signal the beginning of a behavioral disorder. You should consider behavioral counseling if your child:

• Threatens or harms pets, playmates, or themselves
• Damages items belonging to others
• Has trouble making or keeping friends
• Is frequently unhappy or depressed
• Becomes anxious about going to school
• Shows hostility toward authority figures
• Frequently argues, skips school, lies, or steals

If you are considering behavioral counseling for your child, it’s helpful to keep a record of the frequency and type of abnormal behavior your child is demonstrating. This is important information for your pediatrician and can help determine your child’s treatment.

If abnormal behavior goes untreated, problems can continue into adulthood, resulting in poor performance in school or work, difficulty learning, social and relationship issues, and mental health crises, including anxiety and depression. When you choose behavioral counseling, it can help your child live a well-adjusted, happy life.

To learn more about behavioral health counseling and how it can help your child, talk with the experts. Call the pediatricians at Decatur Pediatric Group. You can reach them in Clarkston, Smyrna, or Lithonia, GA, by calling (404) 296-7133, so call now!