When your child struggles with mental health issues, knowing how to support them best can be difficult. One way to do this is to seek professional help from a therapist.

However, it can be hard to know what to ask a therapist, especially if you’re new to the process. To help you get started, here are seven questions to ask your child’s therapist:

1. What Is Your Experience and Training in Treating Children?

Finding a therapist with experience working with children is important to ensure they can provide your child with the best possible treatment. When looking for a therapist, you should always ask about their experience and training in treating children. If they do not have experience working with children, they may be unable to provide your child with treatment.

2. How Will You Monitor My Child’s Progress Over Time?

It’s important to keep track of your child’s progress during treatment so that you can see how they’re doing and identify any areas that need improvement. This can be done by collecting data and regularly reviewing it with your therapist. For example, some families fill out a form and have their results discussed with them regularly. If your care coordinator is not doing this, you should ask them to start.

3. What Is Your Policy on Confidentiality?

As a parent, it is important to be aware of your child’s therapist’s policies on confidentiality. This is important because you must ensure that your child’s information will be kept confidential. 

4. What Mental Health Issues Do You Address in Children?

You should also ask your therapist what mental health issues they address in children. This is important because you must ensure your child’s therapist is qualified to address their specific needs. For example, if your child has ADHD, you will want to make sure that their therapist has experience treating children with ADHD.

5. What Are Your Treatment Methods?

It is also important to ask your therapist about their treatment methods to be sure that their methods are evidence-based and that they are using effective methods. For example, if your child has OCD, you will want to ensure that their therapist uses evidence-based methods, such as behavior therapy, to treat their OCD.

6. How Can I Help in My Child’s Treatment?

Finally, you will want to ask your therapist how you can help in your child’s treatment. This is important because you need to be sure that you are doing everything you can to help your child’s therapist to help your child. You will want to ensure that you are helping their therapist implement their behavior therapy treatment plan.

Conclusion

Being thoughtful about the questions you ask your child’s therapist is important. You want to ensure you get the most out of your child’s therapy sessions, which means being strategic about the information you request. Some key topics to consider asking about include the goals of therapy, what techniques are being used, how your child is progressing, and what you can do to support your child outside of therapy. With this information in hand, you can ensure that your child gets the most benefit from therapy and that you play an active role in their treatment.

Riverbend Life Strategies provides coaching and counseling for the sensitive soul. The therapy options we offer include Sandtray Therapy, EMDR, Art, Play, and Mindfulness, among many others. If you need a child therapist in St. Joseph, MO, get in touch with us. Schedule a virtual or in-person appointment today.