Childhood and Clinical Understanding:

Psychological Counseling as an Opening to the Child’s Being-in-the-World

Abstract

This article focuses on child psychological counseling, discussed through the lens of phenomenological-existential understanding. It begins with a historical reflection on the social construction of childhood, highlighting how its representation has changed over time and influenced the ways of understanding and addressing children’s psychological suffering. In the contemporary context, there has been a significant increase in diagnoses and the medicalization of children, emphasizing the need to restore a comprehensive and humanized view of childhood existence. Within this scenario, psychologists are called to go beyond technical evaluations and to offer a space for listening and acceptance that allows the child to express themselves in their entirety. Grounded in phenomenological-existential principles, child counseling proposes a practice centered on the child’s being-in-the-world, valuing play as a privileged means of expression and self-revelation. Through clinical reports, the article illustrates the importance of bonding, freedom, and the therapist’s epoché² posture in fostering understanding that arises from lived experience rather than predetermined categories. It concludes that phenomenological listening expands the possibilities for understanding the child, promoting more authentic, creative, and coherent interventions aligned with their singular existence.