Please can someone advise me on the best way to find a child psychologist or counsellor privately. We live in the South West and when I've looked on the Internet I can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I'd like someone really experienced with children - my DS is 6.
He has angry outbursts at times (sometimes up to 3 weeks without any, sometimes having them every day for up to two weeks, it really varies) which have been getting worse for the last 6 months, during which he shouts that he wants to kill himself, that he hates us, doesn't want to be in this family, wants to throw himself off a cliff, that he doesn't want to be in this world any longer. He also hits and kicks me and DH and smashes things. He told me last night that he had been trying to strangle himself in his bedroom but it didn't work because he didn't die.
When he has calmed down, he is so tearful and upset. This is worse to watch because he keeps saying he is sorry, that he is a bad boy, that he shouldn't have hit me and that he doesn't deserve to be in the family. We really try to calm him and reassure him that we love him (whilst stressing that hitting and smashing is not okay and that we need to find other ways for him to keep calm).
The angry tantrums only happen in front of me, my husband and grandparents. My DS behaves brilliantly at school. He is high achieving academically, has never been in trouble (he takes the school rules extremely seriously) and has lots of friends. His teachers comment on how well behaved he is. I've thought about trying to access help through the school but because his behaviour is so good at school, I'm not sure if I can ask them for help?
My DS has always been advanced verbally and has been able to have quite adult conversations about complex subjects from an early age. I'm not sure if I've explained that well but it's something other people used to comment on, especially the type of words he used. He asks a lot of questions about death. For example: when he was about 4 he commented that it would be helpful if we knew the dates when were all going to die (within the family) then we could sit with a calculator and work out how many days and nights we have left together. My DH finds these type of conversations unsettling but I think it's just the way DS is. He has a phenomenal memory and loves facts and information especially about nature. He gets obsessed with certain subjects.
There have been several times when it's crossed my mind that he may have aspergers syndrome - but then he copes so well socially that it seems unlikely. He also plays team sports which he loves and he is able to work as part of a team.
As well as the anger, he has been having trouble going to bed at night as he has been having nightmares and he worries about murderers, wars, fires, and many other things. We now make sure he doesn't watch the news because he picks up on so many things. When they learned about the 2nd World War at school he became terrified we were going to be bombed at night.
There have been days recently when he comes home telling me that he has been really sad and doesn't know why. He says he has a sad tummy and has a feeling a bit like a headache (which doesn't hurt) that comes and goes and makes him sad.
This morning he woke up in one of his vile moods. He attacked my DH because my DH told him we have taken his computer away to have a break from it (his behaviour is noticeably worse after playing computer games) and was then crying and hitting himself on the head and shouting "what's wrong with me?".
It breaks my heart to see him like this and I need to get him the right help as soon as possible so any advice would be appreciated. If anyone is still reading, thank you so much, I didn't mean this to be so long.
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Child mental health
Advice on finding a child psychologist privately - can a 6 year old be depressed?
39 replies
RedTurtle · 04/02/2012 08:46
OP posts:
LeninGrad ·
04/02/2012 11:10
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Message withdrawn at poster's request.
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