Helping your Sad Withdrawn and Apathetic Child

First things first. Seek medical/therapuetic attention. Call the Suicide Hotline and reach out to your local Child and Family Services for added supports. Some children may use maladaptive behaviors like running away and shutting down in efforts to communicate.  The information below is strictly for educational purposes and is not meant to be a source of therapy services.

Depression / Sadness / Apathy

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

The goal of therapy is to provide techniques and practice so that the child can learn to change how they think about and behave in situations that cause them to withdraw and or become depressed. CBT may be offered individually or as part of group therapy.

1. Help the child identify the negative thoughts and false assumptions.
2. Replace the negative thoughts, assumptions and beliefs with positive, healthier, more realistic ones.
3. Use behavior-modification methods to teach the child more effective ways of dealing with problems

Exposure to Natural Surroundings/Countryside

Research shows that regular exposure to outdoor nature, the countryside and outdoor activities increase the production of natural body chemicals that elicit sensations of pleasure and joy. The outdoors can improve self-esteem and reduce feelings of depression, anger, and tension, according to a review of research published in the journal Extreme Physiology & Medicine in 2013.

The benefits seen with green settings were not solely due to the type of activities that being outdoors allows (freedom of movement, burning off hyperactivity, dynamic stimulation, etc.)—but were due to the green setting itself (Kuo& Taylor, 2004).  Further, everyday exposure to green settings (the park, countryside, nature) can be used effectively to help alleviate depressive symptoms.

Outdoor/Green Activities

1. Taking nature walks
2. Viewing sunrise, sunsets
3. Fishing
4. Hiking
5. Bird watching
6. Camping
7. Clearing waterways, ponds, streams
8. Picking up trash
9. Listening to wildlife sounds
10. Studying ant, insect colonies
11. Collecting rocks from streams and seashells from oceans

Daydreaming

Self monitoring / Self Regulation (reduce daydreaming)

1. Refrain from trying to completely stop a daydreamer from daydreaming.
2. Teach the child to become more self-aware by helping them to catch themselves daydreaming and to learn the skills to re-focus their attention.
3. Teach the child to monitor their own behavior.

Elopement

1. Teach child to ask for permission to go to a preferred location.
2. If the child uses elopement to escape a nonpreferred task, teach them to:
   1. Ask for permission to take a break
   2. Establish if/then scenario (“If you do your chores, then you can play a video game”).
3. Teach coping strategies when the child resorts to running away when overwhelmed.
   1. Count to ten
   2. Deep breathing
   3. Seek a trusted adult
   4. Visualize a happy place, fun activities, or kind / supportive people
   5. Play a relaxing, calming game
   6. Listen to calming music
4. Teach child to use words (instead of the act of running away) to express feelings
5. If nonverbal, teach child to point to picture cards/emojis to describe, express feelings
6. Keep home secure with child safety locks, exit alarms, throughout the house and fences outside
7. Post stop signs by exit points to give the child a chance to think before acting impulsively
8. If out and about, forewarn family and friends about child’s tendency to elope so that they can intervene if necessary.