Child
Therapy
How can Child Therapy help?
While childhood should be a time of magic and wonder, it can sometimes be difficult and hard to maneuver. Whether they have survived trauma, live with a mental health condition, or need help with major life transitions, kids sometimes need therapy to maintain their mental health just as adults do. Children experience the same emotions as adults but may not have the necessary communication skills to express them or they may have different ways of communicating (and showing) them.
What to Expect for In Child Therapy.
Once you’ve reached out to us to begin services, you will be scheduled for an intake where only parents and/or guardians will be present. This way you can tell us about your concerns and we can get background information on your child’s life without your child being present to hear your worries and/or any negative behaviors being discussed.
First and foremost, our goal is to create a safe place for your child because the most important part of child therapy is building trust and rapport. We work hard to make the counseling room a comfortable place for each child to open up and express themselves freely. If your child is on the younger side (3 to 6 years of age) you’re welcome to be involved in their sessions while they’re still getting used to us and the therapy process. With older children, we do suggest having sessions one-on-one with the therapist so that they can share their feelings without worrying about what anyone else will think.
Throughout the process, your child’s therapist will work with you to help you implement behavioral management techniques when at home to support your child with everything they’ve learned in their therapy sessions. Parent involvement is a crucial part of the treatment process. Your child’s therapist will schedule check-ins with you to discuss your child’s progress and your concerns as treatment progresses.
**Please note, ABC Counseling Inc., DOES NOT see a child under the age of 10 during the first session. The first scheduled appointment is with the Parent/Legal Guardian and the therapist. The second session is when the child will meet with the therapist.
How Do I Prepare my Child for Therapy?
Talking to your child about going to therapy can be very helpful. You can let them know that it’s a safe place to share information and that it’s okay to talk to someone about what they’re struggling with. It is also important for them to know that their therapist won’t share everything talked about in the session with you unless they are in danger or they give permission for the therapist to share.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Counseling Involving A Child Named in Custody Situations:
• If your child is named in a custody agreement or a court order, please know your therapist’s license requires them to receive an official (judge-signed), most recent, copy of the divorce decree, naming custody for the child or custody agreement naming the child, be sent in BEFORE the therapist has their first session with the child.
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• Conservatorship rights are required to be reviewed according to mental health laws before a minor client can receive treatment. Be advised, without sufficient documentation, a minor client cannot enter treatment. If you wish to provide documents for the minor named in a custody agreement in advance, you can attach those documents to an email and send them to our team at admin@abccounselingtx.com .
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• It is also important to note that licensed mental health professionals do not possess the authority to make custody recommendations, provide evaluations or expert testimony for this purpose and will refuse any prompting to do so, as it is out of the therapist’s scope of practice.
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• In the event a minor is named in a custody agreement your child’s therapist must obtain permission from all parties named as Managing Conservators of the minor client named in the custody agreement that has any of the following before treatment of the minor can occur, unless consenting Managing Conservator affirms otherwise below in Non-Participating Managing Conservators in Custody Situations section:
— Right to access the psychological records of the minor client.
— Right to consult with the psychologist/mental health professional of the minor client.
— Right to consent to psychiatric and psychological treatment for the minor client.
