When Children/Adolescents are the Clients

When the child is the primary concern for treatment, the therapist working with your child or adolescent will want you (parents/guardian) to come to the first appointment without the child. This is for your therapist to gain as much information as possible concerning the reason for seeking counseling and the desired outcomes. After counseling has begun, your therapist may elect to divide up future appointment times to spend time with the parents and the child together and/or separately. Parents and adolescents are encouraged to discuss with their therapist their preferences for how they would like to use their time at the beginning of the counseling process.

Eventually, the therapist may see the child or adolescent without the parents. In those sessions, it is most appreciated if the parent can send along any payments that may be due at the time of the session. Alternative arrangements to charge a credit/debit card can be made in advance.

It is helpful to bring along all relevant documents that may be informative. These might include copies of:

• Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs)
• Hospital Discharge Summaries
• Psychological Evaluations
• Current Medications
• Results of any testing that has been done
• Custody/Divorce Decrees
• Joint Parenting Agreements
• Custody Evaluations