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Same as an adult may have a psychological problem, whether permanent or temporary, so can children and adolescents in their psychological development encounter certain steps that are more difficult to master. Sometimes it is the parent who notices the problem and wants to consult on how to deal with the child, the severity of the problem, or generally about the need to take the child somewhere for therapy, and about many other things related to the existing problem. In children and adolescents it is more difficult to identify whether there is a temporary, so called developmental difficulty, or a permanent one. Sometimes a very severe clinical picture may turn out to be only an adolescent crisis with the purpose to enable the child to grow up and form his own identity. Sometimes, a very benign clinical picture may suggest serious difficulties that could remain for the rest of the client's life. In this sense it is good to consult a qualified person in order to be able to intervene promptly and fix what is possible.

Adolescents sometimes want advice and discussion about their psychological development. It is not easy to share everything with their parents because at that age precisely the love for the parents and still a strong need for them hinders the adolescents' natural urge to be separated from them. A person outside the family, in this case a therapist, helps the adolescent to reduce the intensity of his feelings of love and anger toward the most important figures in his life, his parents, and helps him overcome this turbulent period.

Parents of adolescents are not in an easy situation. Much as adolescents themselves sometimes have difficulty growing up, it's not any easier for the parents, too. Occasional intervention and professional help may ease a family crisis and the pain of the psychological separation necessary for a child to become independent.

Parents of small children often worry about peculiar behavior of their children. If a particular phase of a child's growing up is overemphasized, and perhaps additionally burdened by parental anxiety, this can become a problem. Advice and understanding of what lies behind a particular stage in the child's development may free the parents of fear or indicate that it is the right time for temporary professional help.