Depression can exist in childhood, and it leaves parents with difficult decisions to make.
Some parents are willing to consider medication, but you should know that there are effective treatment programs that teach your child how to cope with difficult emotions that don’t involve psychiatric aid.
If you feel like medication is not the answer, then a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program would be best. Let’s explore how CBT works in treating childhood depression, and what makes it so powerful.
Breaking Down Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a form of behavior therapy, meaning it involves learning new modes of thinking and behaving that combat and alleviate depression symptoms.
It is about learning how to change your internal response to negative thoughts and emotions, which leads to positive behaviors.
Those undergoing CBT learn to identify, analyze, and break down negative beliefs they hold (usually without realizing), so that they can test those beliefs against reality and forge more accurate perceptions of themselves and the world.
CBT is effective in the following ways:
- Boosting self-esteem.
- Gaining a stronger sense of control and perspective over stress and anxiety.
- Developing positive thinking patterns.
- Dealing with addictions.
- Dealing with issues that arise in relationships.
In practice, CBT can look like…
- Recognizing persistent, negative thought patterns, and seeing them through a different lens.
- Changing reactions to fearful situations, allowing you to move toward your fears instead of avoiding them.
- Making a thorough account of what’s real in a situation vs. what you’re feeling in the moment.
- Learning how to self-soothe and self-motivate when faced with life’s challenges.
- Becoming more conscious of one’s automatic behaviors and being able to take a step back and assess situations rationally.
CBT is essentially a set of tools that prepare a person for emotional difficulties. These tools loosen the grip of depression and negativity and give individuals the power to create a better mindset.
So, how would learning these skills work in the case of childhood depression? Let’s examine.
How Children Are Treated With CBT
The CBT process begins with some education.
Typically, the child or adolescent will have their initial CBT sessions with their parents, and their therapy provider will teach them about the underlying philosophy of the process. They’ll talk about…
- How thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interconnected.
- How altering any of these elements can positively affect the others.
For example, eating a healthy diet (behavior) will cause one to feel more energized, which in turn can lead to more positive self-regard (thoughts) and positive feelings (emotions).
In turn, forgiving oneself for having a poor diet (thoughts) can lead to gentler, more compassionate feelings toward oneself (emotions), which in turn will pave the way to eating healthier (behaviors).
CBT always has the following characteristics:
- It is goal-oriented: Children, parents, and therapists construct the program around a series of tracked objectives that the child can eventually reach, whether that be feeling a certain way, facing certain fears, or mastering certain skills.
- There is an understanding that the therapist may have the theoretical knowledge, but the patient is the expert on themselves.
- The therapist encourages the patient to realize that they can drastically change their mindset.
- Treatment occurs both in the office and out. The patient is often given homework to identify negative thoughts or implement new behaviors.
- The therapist works with the patient to achieve their goals one step at a time and solve their problems practically.
Next comes the work of zeroing in on negative patterns that are likely leading to depressed feelings.
According to the American Psychological Association:
CBT can teach adolescents how to differentiate between their thoughts and feelings and regulate their feelings by questioning their assumptions and beliefs. CBT might also address behavior patterns that contribute to withdrawal and lack of enjoyment with strategies such as helping adolescents identify activities they have enjoyed in the past and planning to engage in them regularly.
It is a process of making note of moments or situations that make the child feel a certain way and working from there.
The child may be asked to create something like a “mood diary” in between sessions, which will serve as a way to track emotional and behavioral patterns.
Here’s a mood diary example:
- Today, someone made fun of me in gym class, and I got scared and didn’t know what to say — Situation.
- I thought I must be a loser for not standing up for myself, and I must be weird if people are making fun of me — Automatic thought.
- I skip gym class now and stay in the cafeteria pretending to eat lunch — Behavior.
- I feel weak and depressed every time I have to go through this — Emotion.
A situation like this can be broken down. The therapist will work with the patient to adjust the behaviors that cause these patterns to occur. This allows them to recognize where they go wrong and choose more positive and empowering behaviors next time.
Another important aspect of CBT is rediscovering behaviors that used to bring positivity to one’s life and finding ways to re-implement them. Sometimes reducing depression is as simple as prioritizing what brings you joy.
What brings a person joy is subjective, but the idea is that you teach a child to engage in activities that have been shown to bring them joy in the past on a regular basis.
In the same sense, if they can identify an activity that frequently brings them stress or sadness, they can work on phasing out that negative behavior out in favor of better ones.
Maybe they…
- Always become stressed out after spending time with a particular person.
- Become saddened by what they see online.
- Feel enormous stress when they put things off.
They could…
- Phase out certain friends or their parents could not set up playdates with problematic kids.
- Replace online screen time with an old sport they used to play or a creative activity.
- Prioritize doing homework as soon as they get home from school, then enjoying their evenings without work hanging over their head.
CBT Works to Make Children’s Lives Better
The most beneficial part of CBT is that you’ll be giving your children skills that will be useful to them for life.
What they learn in the program they’ll be able to apply to any challenge, allowing them to regulate their emotions more effectively and live more joyful, fulfilling lives.
No matter what negative thought patterns they struggle with, they can learn to identify, break down, and eventually master them with time and practice.
If you’re ready to explore CBT, but need guidance on where to start or have questions, contact us to schedule a free consultation.
