How to Effectively Communicate with Your Child’s Mental Health Therapist
Welcome! This post focuses on balancing the desire to be an active participant on your child’s team- and how to optimally do so- while being mindful of the privacy surrounding the therapeutic process.
As parents, we are accustomed to frequent communication for our children’s teachers. Getting recommendations for how to do our part at home to help them become independent readers, well-practiced musicians, competitive athletes, etc. The same level of communication is important in maximizing your child’s time within therapy as well. They are your world, we know! You are seeking therapeutic services for them because you want to strengthen their emotional well-being, see them achieve their goals, and grow up to be healthy, well-rounded individuals!
Well then to start, you are the expert on your child! Your feedback is crucial for their therapist to get a full picture of what’s happening in the 39 other hours of the week. Are they sleeping well? Eating well? How are their friendships going? Relationships with siblings?
You are also someone who can encourage the recommendations the therapist suggests to your child. Maybe it is a guided meditation to turn on before bed or breathing exercise to utilize in real time when your child is getting anxious, but you're there to say, “hey, remember this? Let’s give this a try.”
Keep in mind- your child or adolescent cannot feel like everything they say in therapy will be reiterated to you. Would you be open within a session if you knew that everything would be shared with your partner, your parents, or your children?! A major advantage of the alliance between therapist and client is having someone that you can be completely open and honest with, without the risk of hurting someone’s feelings or getting in trouble, etc.
There are several great ways to engage with your child’s therapist. You three may determine that a check-in at the start or at the end of your child’s session is valuable. Perhaps a session scheduled, called a family session, is needed- where the therapist meets with caregivers and child together. It could be that what’s needed is a one-hour phone call or online appointment between you and your child’s therapist- called a parent session. More than likely, it will be a combination of all the above throughout your child’s time in therapy.
Planning a time, like the suggestions made above, is the most efficient way to maximize your experience with your child’s therapist. Doing so allows for ample time to address all your concerns, while unscheduled check-ins may prove less so due to a therapist’s often booked schedule. Should an unforeseen concern arise, ideally your therapist would find an open time to schedule a phone call with you to discuss your concerns at length. Without a scheduled time, you risk not having ample time to have an at length conversation- which is not what your therapist wants. Speaking from the side of the therapist- your child is a top priority, and we want ample time to discuss ways that we can best care for them.
You, your child, and your child’s therapist are a team! Try to be open with your child’s therapist- share when you have a desire for communication so that a best time can be scheduled!
-
Paraverbal Communication with Children
Nonverbals, It’s All In How You Say It
What Every Child & Adolescent Therapist Wants Parents and Caregivers to Know
Changes You Can Make at Home to Help Support Your Child While in Therapy
Listening Skills to Help Cultivate a Healthy Connection with Your Child
How to Use Questions to Build Engagement & Improve Communication
Search Our Other Blogs!
Interested in Counseling for Caregiving, Parenting, Communication Skills, & Boundary Setting?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Online counseling for caregiving, parenting, communication skills, and boundary setting aren’t the only services offered at our Maryland office
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written by: Caroline Masucci, LMSW
Caroline is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) at LifeSpring Counseling Services in Maryland, and she specializes in anxiety, depression, trauma, and communication skills. She works closely with children, teens, and adults.
Photo Credit: Ketut Subiyanto, Ivan Samkov, Anthony Shkraba, & PNW Production
Date of download: 10/7/2022
