Child and Teen Sessions: What should parents expect?

Bringing my child for therapy – common questions answered.

 It is now widely recognized that mental health problems first arise in childhood or adolescence, and that receiving support sooner rather than later is pivotal in helping young people overcome and manage challenges. Tools and strategies learned as a child or teenager continue to be useful as they develop and encounter adulthood.

Many parents wonder what child psychology sessions look like, and value clarity regarding their involvement. I answer below some common questions that often arise for parents when they consider bringing their child to see me.

Is my child suitable for therapy?

Psychologists who work with young people take into consideration their developmental level to ensure that the therapy is tailored to appropriately meet their needs using the correct modality, materials and techniques. Very young children are not typically seen for therapy as they don’t yet have the cognitive skills to grasp content and so the work might primarily have to be done with the parents. Additional considerations and adaptations are also taken into account when therapy is undertaken with children who have neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism or learning difficulties that could impact upon how they understand session content and interact with the materials, tasks and psychologist.

 It is also important to acknowledge readiness for therapy – some young people might not be ready for therapy yet and that’s okay. A teenager for example, who is reluctant to engage or who is not making progress as he feels he has been made to come to therapy by his parents or is uncomfortable engaging in a therapeutic setting, would not be forced to continue with sessions, but might re-engage later when ready. In such cases, other avenues to helping, such as offering advice to parents might be more beneficial. I frequently see parents to provide guidance in helping them to support their child if the young person themselves is reluctant to come.

How long does therapy continue for? 

Whilst some children may need more sessions than others, the aim of therapy is never to keep the young person in therapy forever. Instead, the focus is on helping young people to build up skills that they can eventually use on their own.

The total length of time that a young person sees a therapist for varies, but a minimum number of weekly sessions is likely to be suggested by the psychologist after they have gathered enough information and come to an initial understanding of the challenges and have thought through how these might be addressed most effectively.

The therapist will recognize, for example, that some children might only need short-term help after becoming stuck following a specific event like a transition (moving school, re-locating) or loss (such as the death of a family member or pet or the moving away of a close friend) and that they might need some help building up their understanding and resilience following this. For other young people, however, difficulties might be more long-standing and entrenched, with lots of additional factors to consider and the therapeutic sessions might have a different focus, time frame and goals. 

What will my involvement as a parent be?

One of the main ways that child therapy services differ from adult psychotherapy, is in the involvement of one or both parents in the therapy process. Parents are often viewed as co-therapists, especially when it comes to helping a young person to practice skills outside of the therapy room. In some cases, work may be done exclusively with the parents, especially with younger children.

When working with older teenagers, on the other hand, the involvement of parents may be considerably less. Again, however, there are many factors to consider such as the nature of the difficulty, the level of the young person’s engagement, how much support may be needed from others and family dynamics. As such, there is no fixed rule about how and when to involve parents in the therapy. At the start of therapy, when drawing up a clear plan or roadmap, the psychologist will consider all the factors necessary and might also adapt the plan as new information comes to light or if there are changes in family relationships.

What happens in therapy?

Usually the first therapy session involves meeting with a young person and their family to find out all the specific details about the young person as well as when the difficulties started and to fully understand how the difficulties developed and what’s helped to keep them going.

After developing goals and an initial plan about how to address the issues, the therapist is then likely to start working with the young person and involving parents to optimize progress.

Studies indicate that an approach known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be very helpful for several issues faced by young people. Your child’s therapist is likely to use this approach, and where necessary combining talk therapy with other strategies and techniques – especially since children tend to enjoy more creative ways of expressing themselves (such as through games, art, media, stories and journaling, to name a few).

It might take longer for some children to be fully comfortable with interacting with the psychologist and in such cases the first few sessions might be more focused on building up this trust and comfort – which is always an essential foundation for the success of the therapy. Progress is also tracked over time by checking in with families over the course of the therapy.

As each young person is unique, one young person’s therapy journey is often very different from the next. Overall, the process of therapy can be a very meaningful, helpful and even enjoyable experience for young people. Early identification and treatment of challenges can be especially useful in helping young people to live their best lives.

Prathna Singh, Child and Adolescent Psychologist, Vivamus Dubai.