Creative Counseling with Children: Self-Esteem Building

Children and teens often struggle with Self-Esteem issues. Raising Self-Esteem can help to change the child's negative view of themselves by disputing negative self talk. Creative techniques to increase Self-Esteem will help the child to focus on the people, places, and things that help to build self-confidence. Here are a few creative techniques to begin building Self-Esteem!

THE SELF-ESTEEM SHIELD

The self-esteem shield should include people, places, things, strengths, and skills that are positive for the client. The project can be adjusted for different age levels.

Bonus: I have also created a "Sword" and "Helmet" to go with this project. On the sword, I had the child write down "Sharp" comments that have hurt their self esteem (for example, "You're dumb"). The shield will protect from these sharp comments. On the paper Helmet, I had the child write down positive thoughts that protect the client from thinking negatively (for example, "I am a great friend").

Tip: Keep a stencil of the shield and sword, so that you can recreate this project with many clients!

Creative Counseling with Children: Ice Breakers and Games

Adding a little creativity to counseling sessions can not only make the session more interesting, but it may also help the client to remember the "take home message".   Children naturally are drawn to hands-on activities that can help get them talking. Since building rapport with children and teens can be a challenge, here are a few creative, and inexpensive "do it yourself" techniques to break the ice!

THERAPY JENGA

 

Jenga is a familiar game for most children and teens. Therapy Jenga is a great spin off, that will get kids talking, while having a great time! Simply write therapeutic questions on one side of the block, and begin playing. This works great for family sessions!

Example Questions: "What is your favorite subject in school?", "What do you like best about yourself?" 

Tip: Use different colored Sharpie markers to differentiate each topic. For example- All questions about "Family Background" will be in blue.

TOSS AND TELL THERAPY GAME

Toss and Tell is a great game for younger clients. I have found that it is difficult for some children to sit down during sessions. This game is perfect for hands-on kids with a lot of energy! Write questions all over the ball to get kids talking. Play catch with the client, and whatever questions that the child's right hand lands on, they answer that question.


Tip: You could make several therapy balls with different topics.
For example: Make a Self-Esteem ball or Coping Skills ball.

THERAPY UNO

Playing Uno with a child, teen or family can be a great way to interact. To play, I suggest following the standard rules, but when someone plays a wild card, that person gets to ask anyone at the table a question.

For example: When playing a Wild card (black) I might ask the client, "who does the majority of the discipline in the house" or "who is someone you can talk to when you're upset". For families, I might ask the Father, "What is one way you will spend quality time with your family this week".