Considering Therapy for Your Child? Here’s What to Expect

Understanding Your Concerns

If you’re considering therapy for your child, you may feel a mix of curiosity, concern, and hope. Some parents feel a sense of responsibility or guilt that they may have done something to cause an issue with their child. If therapy is a taboo topic in your family or environment, you may feel defensive or skeptical about it. These are all very normal feelings when being faced with something new, especially involving your child. Many parents wonder what therapy might look like for their child and how it can help them. Rest assured, seeking support is a healthy and proactive step toward helping your child thrive.

What Therapy for Children Involves

Child therapy may feel like a big step, but at its core, it’s simply an additional supportive space (think similar to a school counselor) where children can explore their feelings, learn healthy ways to cope with emotions, and build confidence. Therapy for children is often different from what adults experience—it’s designed to be engaging and age-appropriate, using tools like play, art, and storytelling to help kids express themselves safely and naturally. Many of us know and love tapping into our inner child, so children typically warm up to us faster than you might think. 

   -The Initial Process: After you complete an intake with someone at our practice (which is essentially just gathering information on you/your child/their needs), you will fill out consent, insurance, and a few other forms and then hopefully have the first session scheduled soon after. The very first session will typically involve the parent either being there for the whole time or a few minutes depending on the age of your child. We will chat with both you and your child, play a game or do an art activity together and ensure they feel totally safe. We will also explain the rules of the room, and limits to confidentiality in an age appropriate way. Going forward, we will meet with your child one on one. Some children need a little extra time transitioning their parents out of the room and that is totally okay! We work with children with all kinds of needs.

   -Tailored Approaches: As mentioned before, therapy for children typically looks different than therapy for adults unless you are bringing your teen in (we find most teens love to talk!). Some children communicate through play, so we have a variety of toys like dolls, dollhouses, action figures, stuffed animals, blocks, and board games that they can freely use. For more creative kiddos, we have many different art supplies such as paint, markers/crayons, scrapbooking materials, slime ingredients, stickers, bracelet kits, and more. If you have a child who is into technology or seeing us virtually, we can also work with certain games/platforms. We can work together to find a solution for anything!

Common Reasons Parents Seek Therapy for Their Children

There are a number of reasons that parents choose to find a therapist for their child. Keep in mind, these are just the most common reasons, but this is not a full list.

• School-Related Stress: Academic pressure, bullying, social struggles, school avoidance, relocating/changing schools, going away to college, difficulting concentrating, organizational issues

• Behavioral Concerns: Impulsivity, defiance, aggression, self-harm/suicidal ideation, social isolation, issues with attention or focus

• Family Changes: Adjusting to life events such as divorce, medical diagnosis, relocation, family/sibling conflict, new family members

• Emotional Challenges: Anxiety, sadness, mood swings, intense frustration and emotional outbursts, low self-esteem

• Trauma: Experiencing or witnessing traumatic events, death or serious illness of a loved one, difficulty processing grief

   Additionally, we also offer family sessions and recommend having monthly parent sessions to discuss progress and what you can be doing at home to help your child.

 How Therapy Can Benefit Your Child

Therapists are trained to create a warm, trusting environment to allow your child a safe space to navigate emotions and challenges. We tend not to focus on the label, but rather focus on how we can help your child grow, develop self-awareness, confidence, and the ability to handle the ebbs and flows of life. 

In session, we will help your child to:

-Name and understand their thoughts and feelings which fosters emotional intelligence that will serve them throughout life. 

-Learn coping strategies to manage stress, anxiety, anger, and sadness

-Build self-esteem and confidence by providing a judgment-free zone and honing in on your child’s strengths

-Improve relationships with friends and family by working on communication and trust 

Common Questions

-Will my child be labeled?

While we are required to provide a diagnosis to insurance companies, we focus on the treatment aspect and tend to focus on the specific issues at hand.

-How long will it take to see results?

The timeline varies based on each child’s unique needs. Some find a few sessions are helpful, while others benefit from ongoing support.

-How long are sessions? 

The sessions can last anywhere from 30-60 minutes depending on the needs of your child and the therapists schedule. 

-What if my child does not connect with the therapist?

It is typical to wait a couple of sessions to see if the therapist is a good fit for your child. If the therapist notices that the connection could cause issues with your child’s progress then a recommendation can be made.

-Will I know what my child talks about in therapy?

We recommend allowing your child a level of privacy in the therapy room for best results. Asking, “How was your session today?”, is okay as it allows them to share as much or as little information as they feel comfortable with. The therapist will give you a general idea of what is being worked on during parent sessions. If anything serious/life threatening comes up, we will tell you.

Final Notes

Overall, you will find that therapy is a great tool for your child’s development that can also benefit the relationship you have with them. We often have parents who end up wanting to try out therapy for themselves or their other children because they see how helpful it can be. If you are interested in therapy or have other questions, please reach out to us!

-Until next time, Ashley V.