Impulsivity in Children

When is it time to get help?

If you feel that your child is struggling with impulse control because it is affecting their school, relationships, personal physical or mental health, seeking support would be a logical thing to do. Impulsivity can be a symptom of another disorder so it’s best to investigate the cause so treatment can be started.

Impulsivity treatment methods

Together with your child’s therapist, you’ll determine what’s causing impulsivity and the best way to treat the cause. Your child’s treatment plan could also include medication, so a visit with their medical doctor may be in order. There are many psychotherapy treatments that have been helpful in treating impulsivity, and they include:

• Behavioural therapy tends to view human beings and behaviour with the assumption that humans are a product of their sociocultural conditioning and environment, looking at the current problems and the factors influencing them and emphasizes behaviour changes more than the underlying unconscious processes.
• Emotionally focused therapy is based on observations and experience. It looks at emotions and emotional intelligence, which helps support stronger and more secure relationships by helping better understand how our actions impact others, and how our emotions drive our interaction.
• Mindfulness therapy is an approach to treatment that focuses on how people’s thoughts, emotions, and beliefs influence their behaviour and how they perceive themselves, others, and the world. The ability to be in the moment, to acknowledge and regulate your emotions helps you to break free from negative thought patterns.
• Solution focused therapy views people as inherently strong and resilient, and capable of creating change and discovering solutions to their everyday problem.