Academic Motivation

Frequently parents bring a child for counseling because of poor motivation in school. Often the child or teenager has done well in the past, but no longer seems to care to put forth effort. There are many factors to consider. How old is the child? It's normal for children approaching puberty to become more insecure about themselves, due to the changes they experience. Consequently, they become more focused on social issues, such as fitting in with their peers, not appearing to be a geek, not smelling bad, wearing the right clothes (sometimes at odds with parental standards), etc. Many of these kids become pretty stressed out. When you're stressed, don't you find it difficult to focus on work? Sometimes they just need some extra support and validation of their feelings. Can you remember being twelve? Rather not go there? Yeah, me too.

Other factors to think about: have there been significant changes in the family, or in the child's environment? Are there any health issues? Is there anything that could cause your child to be depressed? If there are no obvious explanations, perhaps your child should be evaluated for Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD/ADHD. Often it goes undetected until the child undergoes a developmental change. Systems can overload, and the ADD becomes symptomatic. It can be difficult to distinguish between depression and ADD, because the symptoms children exhibit are almost identical. Therefore, consultation with school staff, and then with a trained therapist who specializes in treatment of childhood problems, is essential for evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. Left untreated, ADD and/or depression put your child at risk for self-medicating substance abuse, low self-esteem, and persistent school failure.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact me. In my private practice, I provide evaluation and treatment for children and teens with behavioral, emotional, and learning issues. I provide parent coaching and education to help improve communication and behavioral strategies, and family therapy to facilitate improvement.

I also provide substance abuse counseling for teens and adults; healing therapy for survivors of abuse; play therapy for children and teens; and marital counseling to reduce conflicts and increase intimacy.

Feel free to contact me for a confidential evaluation.