A little bit about the process of starting child therapy

There are certain times in a child’s life that bring a young person to therapy. The reasons for presentation may include emotional, scholastic or behavioural problems. At the start of getting to know a child it is always important to take into account factors that relate to a child’s internal and external world.

A useful way to get to know more about a child’s external world is to meet the parents and conduct a clinical interview. This is done to understand more about what is happening in the child’s life at present. It is also invaluable to get a detailed developmental history focussing on the kid’s formative years.

A child can never be looked at in isolation. The child is dependant on parental figures and is a part of a family. For this reason it is also useful to get a detailed understanding of what is happening in the parents and other family members’ lives. The larger society that the child is a part of must also be discussed such as school, culture and religion in order to gain a holistic understanding of the child.

An additional part of the assessment process includes spending some time with the child in a play room. This is a way of observing the child and interacting with a kid to gain more information. It is also a way to try and ascertain whether there appears to be a fit between the therapist and the young person. Once a detailed assessment has been done it is possible for the therapist to make recommendations based on the clinical information. There are a variety of options that are commonly used to help children. These include play therapy, psychological or educational assessments, parental counselling and psychiatric medication. I offer play therapy and parental counselling at my practice.

What is play therapy?

Play therapy often works best with younger children between the ages of four and eight. The world of a growing child works in a different way to the mind of an adult. Children are often not able to put their feelings into words as they have yet to develop the verbal and emotional capacities. Hence a method of understanding children has been devised that interprets children’s play. A child may attend weekly therapy sessions where they can be allowed to play and express their feelings and thoughts. Over time it is possible to try and help children to make more sense of their internal and external worlds and the spaces in between. It takes time to build a relationship with a child and it is generally considered a long term treatment model that could take six months or longer.

Children with psychological difficulties often demand more thought and care than other kids. It is common that parents may also need to be referred to another therapist to get parental counselling. This can help the parents to provide creative ways of handling their child’s difficulties. It is also useful as it prevents the play therapist from taking on multiple roles in relation to the child and the family. I will endeavour to refer clients to an alternate health care professional when additional help is needed. Some times a client may need to consult with several health care professional at once to attain a thorough investigation and treatment.