‘I don’t want to attend school anymore’
Context
In an Indian metro, a child studying in Grade III was suddenly, one day, not willing to go to school, at all. This was a child who previously enjoyed his school a lot.
He also complained of various somatic complaints like body aches, etc.
In the normal flow of things, medical investigations and procedures were conducted. All the tests were normal. There was nothing out of the ordinary.
Engagement Process
When the child was brought for psychological consultation, the primary engagement process chosen was a ‘customized Counselling plan’.
It was identified that the child was facing some deeper psychological and emotional blocks about attending school.
It was essential to empathize and deal with them in an atmosphere where the child feels safe and secure to confide.
A ‘customized Counselling plan’ was developed through the collaboration of the child, his parents, and a few concerned teachers and school staff.
Outcome
It was revealed through the ‘specially designed Counselling Exercise’ that the child was facing some deep-seated psychological and emotional stressors.
These were the underlying cause of his various problems.
Some of the identified stressors were:
- Bullying
- Inability to handle a particular level of homework
- A resultant, growing fear of attending school
These were addressed effectively through the collaboration of the child, parents, and teachers – through the ‘customized Counseling exercise’.
Take-away
When a child finds himself or herself incapable of dealing with some stressful psychological situations; this can often get manifested as bodily symptoms.
It is important to seek adequate professional help to understand the underlying psychological stressors for such children, who manifest repeated bodily symptoms, without any response to treatment.
A mental health team is trained to create a necessary and safe atmosphere where the child can feel comfortable to share his or her psychological or emotional stressors.
This can lead to executing the most optimal solutions for dealing with a specific problem or mental block.
