When we think of mental illness, we mostly think of the adult. We think about the juggling of the family coupled with adult stress and in this part of our world, traffic. By doing this most times, we neglect the children or should we say the adolescence in general. The mental health of children is most times overlooked as we feel as parents/guardians that the childhood stage is a happy stage forgetting the fact that children go through stress and psychological disorders as well.
In Africa, taking Nigeria precisely, the way you thought as a child is quite different from how the children of this generation would see life. Their perception of life would be generally different from 20 or even 40 years ago. This is because of the influx and influence of a lot of factors like the internet and the media. An average child of this generation will get answers from the internet themselves or even media if they are not properly grounded and by getting these answers, they try out different vices thereby posing directly or indirectly an effect. Because children typically think differently than adults and have a different way of looking at the world, it is important to take their mental health seriously.
It would interest you to know that children also face a lot of mental illness that adult face like depression, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, grief, etc and the way this is dealt with at that point in their life is in correlation with how they will turn to be as adults. A very good example is the transition from childhood to teenage-hood, at this stage a lot of hormonal changes occur, a lot adrenaline rush that they didn’t feel as kids, they start to feel conscious of themselves, attraction towards the opposite sex, etc. Now, if these changes do not come on a well grounded root of right counseling, it might change and influence their entire life. For instance also, instead of becoming quiet and sullen, a child suffering from a mental disorder such as depression might have emotional outbursts or exhibit behavioral problems. We have a number of reasons why a child might develop mental illness, anxiety or even grief at a very young age; these include Divorce, death of a loved one, bullying, peer pressure, poverty even meeting new people.
It is important that as parents/guardians/care givers, we are sensitive to the needs of these kids. From a tender age, the bed rock of self awareness and sex education should be taught to kids. Also, you have to realize that there is no child too young to start seeing a counselor. I understand that in this part of this world, we feel that a problem has to spring up before we seek counsel which is very far from the truth. It is right to take your child to a Child/Youth counselor at intervals. Children tending towards the age of teenage-hood should not be told things like ‘if a boy touches you, you will get pregnant’ for health sake, don’t train a child that way. Little wonder why our youths are out there ‘turning on their own’. Teach them what and how they will feel at puberty stage, tell them things like ‘you are going to be a teenager very soon and I’m sure you will start to have funny feelings like crushes and get attracted to the opposite sex, it is an absolute normal thing and you don’t have to feel weird’, this is will give them the freedom to relate with you and avoid peer influence to a minimal.
So, Why Do We Need Child Counselors?
Child counseling or youth counseling, however, is a type of counseling that focuses on children that are diagnosed with or without mental disorders. Childhood should be a happy time in a person’s life. Dealing with mental and emotional illness, however, can put a damper on this carefree time. It can also lead to more problems during adulthood. Child counselors can help children become more mentally and emotionally stable, which can help them become healthier and happier adults. I am also of the opinion that every person that has a direct or indirect contact with children should have a background in Child counseling, although, this is an opinionated thought.
So, How Do I become a Child Counselor?
Across Africa, there are several reputable counseling institutes, one of which is the Chartered Institute of Counseling in Nigeria (CICN). These institutes are redefining counseling education by offering a strong balance between practical clinical training and solid theoretical grounding, moving beyond the traditionally theory-heavy approach common in many parts of the region. The CICN provides a highly structured and experiential training curriculum in child and adolescent counseling, alongside other specialized fields. The program is designed to equip trainees with real-world clinical competence, ethical grounding, and applied therapeutic skills, enabling them to practice professionally within diverse contexts globally. By integrating supervised practical exposure with academic rigor, CICN helps bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and real-life counseling practice, producing practitioners who are better prepared for the demands of contemporary mental health work.
Where Do I Work as a Child Counselor?
Child counselors often work in facilities where there are children in need of mental health services. This often includes schools, hospitals, children’s homes, juvenile detention centers, domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, and social service offices. Like many other counseling professionals, child counselors can also usually choose to open their own private practices. In doing so, they may counsel children in their offices, or travel to the children’s homes or schools. Finally, I will say that it is easier to build strong children than broken men.
