We’re taught throughout our lives how to treat or get help for physical ailments. We know to put a bandage on a scraped knee or see our doctor for a sore throat. We call 9-1-1 for more serious, life-threatening emergencies.
When a child experiences an emotional challenge or mental-health crisis, the treatment for healing can seem unclear by comparison if you’re unfamiliar with the hope that therapy can bring.
Maybe you’ve considered therapy for your child but are unsure of the process and have questions. I understand. Every day at The Guidance Center, we walk parents and caregivers through the process and respond to the questions they have surrounding treatment.
Here are a few common questions and answers that may help provide clarity to the healing process we go through to help children who need support.
Question: Why do you ask so many questions? I just want to help my kid.
Answer: In order to best help your child, it is important for the mental-health professional to get as much information as possible about the child’s family history, developmental history, educational history and current life situation.
Question: My kid is just misbehaving. She’s not mentally ill. Why is the therapist asking questions about hearing voices?
Answer: The therapist will ask a lot of questions about behavior and symptoms. Some of the questions may or may not apply to your child, but the mental-health professional asks in order to make sure their assessment is thorough and they have all the information needed to best help your child.
Question: All the therapist does is play with my kid. What’s that supposed to do?
Answer: Children often express their thoughts and emotions through play. The therapist plays with your child in order to get to know your child, form a trusting relationship with them, allow them to communicate at their own pace in a safe environment and provide help and intervention specific to your child’s needs. Play is serious business!
Question: Why does the therapist want to meet with me? It’s my kid who is having the problems.
Answer: Therapists consider parents and caregivers to be an important resource for a child, and parents can provide information, guidance and positive discipline for their child. Parents and caregivers are as important to the healing process as the therapists are. After all, parents help a child for a lifetime. Therapists only help a child for a period of a time.
We hope this information is helpful to you. If you have questions other than the ones listed, we’d be happy to discuss those with you. We can be reached at (562) 595-1159 or contactus@tgclb.org.
Patricia Costales, LCSW is the CEO of The Guidance Center, a nonprofit child and family mental-health service provider headquartered in Long Beach.
