A child psychologist works with children's emotional, behavioural and developmental difficulties using methods suited to their age. The difference from adult therapy is the method: a child cannot always put an experience into words. So the work goes through play, drawing and story.
A child psychologist starts by trying to understand. The focus is not the behaviour itself but what sits underneath it. A stomach ache that returns every morning, sudden outbursts, or withdrawing to the bedroom are usually not the problem — they are how the problem shows itself.
The work does not stay with the child alone; parent sessions are a natural part of it. It usually runs through these steps:
First session with parents
History, developmental background, what is happening at home and at school
Meeting the child
Age-appropriate assessment through play, drawing and conversation
Detailed assessment where needed
Developmental or attention-focused assessment tools
Regular sessions and parent reviews
The family stays in the process while the work with the child continues
Working with others when needed
With the school or a physician, to the extent the family agrees
If a behaviour has lasted a few weeks, affects your child's daily life — school, sleep, friendships, eating — and what you have tried at home is not helping, that is reason enough to talk. You do not need to wait for a crisis.
It is more common than most families assume. A meta-analysis combining 41 studies across 27 countries (Polanczyk et al., 2015) reports that around 13.4% of children and adolescents meet criteria for a mental disorder. The World Health Organization describes a similar picture in one in seven young people aged 10 to 19. This is not the result of a mistake a family made; it is a common part of childhood.
The same difficulty does not look the same at every age. What brings a family in changes with the developmental stage:
Ages 3-6
Ages 7-11
Ages 12-15
We have covered school refusal and attention in separate articles: school refusal and ADHD symptoms in children.
"Is this really enough of a reason?"
One of the questions we hear most. You do not need a diagnosis or a serious picture to have a conversation. Sometimes a single parent session is enough to see what will help at home, and the process ends there.
These are two different professions, and they often complement each other:
| Child psychologist | Child psychiatrist | |
|---|---|---|
| Training | Psychology degree + clinical master's | Medical school + psychiatry specialisation |
| Methods | Therapy, assessment, parent guidance | Medical assessment, medication where needed |
| Can prescribe? | No | Yes |
For most families, starting with a psychologist is enough; if a medical assessment is needed, a referral follows. We look at the distinction in more detail here: psychologist or psychiatrist?
Parent session. The first session is usually with parents only. We talk about what you have noticed and for how long.
Meeting the child. Nothing is rushed while your child gets used to the room. It starts with play and conversation.
Deciding on a direction together. We talk through how to proceed — how many sessions, how often, what to start with.
We describe how the work generally runs on the therapy process page.
In child therapy a parent is not an observer. You are the person who builds your child's daily life, so what changes at home often matters more than what changes in the session. This is why parent sessions happen at intervals; when sibling relationships or tension between partners comes to the fore, family therapy may also come into the picture.
What the child shares is handled with care for their privacy when it is discussed with parents. At our centre, sessions and your personal information are protected in line with confidentiality principles.
Famagusta is a small place. "Will I run into someone I know in the waiting room?" is a real question, and we are asked it often. Appointments are spaced with that in mind; you are welcome to tell us your preferred day and time from the start.
A few things worth looking at:
Experience working with children
Training in the field and which age groups they work with
Parents included in the process
Whether regular parent sessions are part of the work
Openness to contact with school
Where it is needed and the family agrees to it
Travel you can sustain
Regularity matters as much as the session itself
You can read how we work on the child psychology page, and for adolescence on the adolescent psychology page. We can also look together at whether online sessions suit your child. You can write even if you are not sure — the contact page is enough.
Last updated:
If the difficulty has lasted a few weeks, affects daily life, and what you have tried at home is not helping, a conversation is worthwhile. A sudden drop in school performance, changes in sleep or appetite, social withdrawal, frequent outbursts or unexplained physical complaints are common signs.
It varies from child to child. Work focused on one specific difficulty often runs somewhere between 8 and 12 sessions; developmental or long-standing difficulties can take longer. Progress is reviewed with you at regular intervals.
Plain and honest language works: "There is someone who talks with children and understands them. We will go together." Avoid surprises, and avoid framing it as a doctor or an injection. Leave room for questions; saying "I do not know" is also an answer.
No. A large share of the families who come have no diagnosis. A parent not being sure about something is reason enough. After an assessment, a single parent session is sometimes all that is needed.
For parent sessions and for work with adolescents, online sessions are often a good fit. With younger children, play-based work goes further in person. We can look at which one suits your child together.
The approach changes. With an adolescent, the confidential space is wider, parent sessions become less frequent, and the young person's own goals shape the work. We have a separate area of practice for adolescence.
You can write even if you are not sure. We will look at it together.
Message us on WhatsApp