How To Treat Bedwetting Psychologically

No child is purposely wetting his or her bed. It's an embarrassing event that causes parents to get frustrated and for everyone to be up in the middle of the night to replace the sheets and cover the mattress with a plastic protector. To make sure that you and your child are not getting up regularly in the middle of the night, you are going to want to make sure that you treat bedwetting as soon as possible. Here are some ways to treat bedwetting psychologically.

1. Reassurance

The first step in treating bedwetting psychologically is to attempt to negate the negative self-esteem effects of bedwetting by praising your child when he or she gets through the night without wetting the bed and reassuring your child when bedwetting happens. You want to make sure that you are reassuring your child, rather than yelling at him or her, because it will help reduce the stress of bedwetting and make him or her more relaxed and therefore more likely to be able to cope with setbacks and stay motivated to continue to try to beat the problem.

2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Another way to treat bedwetting psychologically is to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, that is taught by a licensed adolescent or child therapist. This method involves having your child see a CBT therapist once a week or once every other week for a few months. The CBT therapist will help your child brainstorm methods of making sure that he or she reduces the chances that bedwetting will happen, such as by not drinking as much water a few hours before bedtime.

The therapist will also target any thoughts that your child might be having about bedwetting, such as the worry that he or she is a loser or a baby or will never be able to stop. Once the thought patterns are identified, the CBT therapist will work with the child to change these thoughts so that they are more reflective of reality. Doing so will allow the child to focus on the problem at hand, rather than wallow in self-pity.

3. Motivational Therapy

Finally, you can talk to your psychologist about starting a motivational therapy program with your child. This is essentially when you reward your child for every night that he or she does not wet the bed, motivating him or her to continue to avoid doing so. 

For more information about bedwetting and how to treat it, talk to a licensed psychologist.