Getting StartedDuring the initial phone call, we will discuss your reasons for seeking therapy and any questions you might have about me or the way I work.
For your first visit, we will discuss what therapy is and what it can and cannot help with. We will also review documents detailing informed consent and my privacy practices. Next, we will explore your concerns in detail. I will ask questions about your family, the history of the problem, what has helped in the past, and what you are hoping to get out of therapy.
We will also discuss my fee and any concerns you have about payment during our initial session.
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Assessment and Goal SettingAssessment is an important part of the therapy process because it allows me to really get to know you and your child. Assessment might include structured activities like developmental screening and specific tasks for you to complete together, or I may just ask you to interact and play naturally with your child so I can observe your relationship in real time. If appropriate, I'll also spend some time meeting with other family members to get their impressions of your child.
Following the assessment session(s), I'll meet with you to give you feedback so that we can develop a shared understanding. We will work together to create goals for your child and/or family that work for you. With concrete, agreed-upon goals, we can move forward knowing we are all on the same page. After therapy has continued for some time, we can meet again to check up on our goals and measure our progress.
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Ongoing TherapyTherapy can take a lot of forms and vary greatly in duration and frequency. We will discuss what therapy will look like for you, how often we will meet, and who will be involved. For some children, weekly individual sessions plus a session with the primary caregiver(s) once a month are ideal. For others, weekly sessions with both the child and caregiver present are better. Sometimes, it is important for the whole family to come in together.
Regardless of the structure therapy takes, commitment to consistency and ongoing communication are important for success. Even if we do not have an adult session scheduled, I encourage you to call me with any new concerns or changes in your child between sessions. If you need to cancel a session, please notify me at least 24 hours in advance. |
EndingSometimes a child or family just needs a little nudge in the right direction, and therapy can be brief. Other times, it may take a longer time to make changes and solidify new patterns. We will check in regularly to discuss the progress of therapy. If we agree that the goals have been reached, or you feel therapy is no longer needed, it is important we spend at least another few sessions saying goodbye and reviewing what we have done together. This is especially important for young children, who need time to adjust to the relationship with their therapist ending.
I may also suggest scheduling a check up appointment in six months to follow up and make sure our work together is sticking. |