ABSTRACT
What brings children into therapy? In answer to this question psychologists would probably say well they are disturbed in some way; they are not getting along in school; they are aggressive or withdrawn; they have suffered trauma; they are reacting badly to the divorce of their parents; and on and on. The expression "self-concept" is more often used to describe how children feel about themselves. Young children blame themselves if there is an illness, if they are abandoned, if they are rejected in some way, if the parent has a headache, if the parent is angry and grumpy, if they are molested and if there is some kind of trauma. Parents sometimes expect the child to remember the dangers. Children will become hyper, space out, wet the bed, become encropetic, become fearful and even phobic rather than express feeling directly. Children learn from their particular cultural group what is expected of them.
