ADDRESSING SHAME

Children who are brought in for therapy have a mixture of depression, anxiety, anger, shame, and confusion. Studies show that there may be a complex interaction between types of shame and how the individual experiences it. Those who internalize shame have chronic feelings of inferiority, fears and feelings of failure and ridicule. Feelings of shame can be easily triggered during daily events and manifest in the form of anxiety, negative self-talk, anger and aggression, or submissive behavior/people-pleasing. It is a child’s natural response to want to hide- to refuse to speak when they feel shameful- as a way to seek safety into temporary escape. This can obviously lend to bigger issues down the road; that’s where therapy can make a big difference. It can be very confusing and difficult for a young child to comprehend or verbalize what has occurred within their lives. They may come to blame themselves and think they have deserve to be punished. It is in these critical times that these beliefs can be addressed and resolved. Clinicians within our team have experience in working with children and individuals of all ages, in the deep-seated impacts of internalizing shame, how it reflects their own identity, and in their relationships.