This matters equally for kids and adults who are beginning therapy. The quality of the therapist/client relationship has a really big impact on how much better kids/parents feel, how much therapy they'll need to see the change they are looking for, and how well they maintain those improvements after therapy ends. My job is to help the kids and parents who come for therapy feel safe enough to try out new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving in the world.
When you’re looking for help for your child it can be hard to decide where to go.
Here are some tips on what to look for when sorting through your options.
Each of these has been shown to help kids get the most out of therapy.
You and your child should feel safe and that you have a true partner in this process.
You should make sure you know where the therapy is headed before it starts.
It may not be crystal clear to you what's going on with your child when we're first getting to know each other, but my job is to help bring some clarity to the situation as quickly as possible, so we can set specific treatment goals and establish a plan of action. When you have a good sense of what's going on right now and where you'd like to see your child at the end of treatment, it is much easier to create a plan for getting there - and for measuring progress along the way.
Your child deserves to receive therapy of a kind that has a track record of getting results.
For kids struggling with anxiety or who are having a hard time with big feelings and the big actions that follow, cognitive-behavioral therapy is a gold standard of treatment. It is action-oriented and interactive. Kids take an active role in learning how to regulate their emotions, to see the relationship between what they think and how they feel and what they do. They learn skills they can take with them when they go, and have in their personal toolbox for the rest of their lives.