Regular Therapy Sessions

When regular treatment sessions begin, you are welcome to help your child become more comfortable with the setting and therapist by joining them either the first few minutes or first few sessions. However, in order to allow your child the opportunity to bond with the therapist after their initial comfort is in place, the therapist may ask you to remain outside the treatment room and observe through the one-way mirror to help the therapist strengthen the bond, thereby allowing your child to achieve greater success with the therapist. Since it is important for parent participation and education, parents are always encouraged to join or watch sessions whenever possible.

Parent education is also vital to the therapy process and it takes place during portions of your child’s session. Once the child demonstrates comfort with the therapist, parents are welcome to observe all of the session or join the sessions whenever possible. If your presence changes how your child engages in the session, watching through the mirror may be best. Parents are encouraged to ask questions, notify the therapist of changes, and/or tell the therapist about additional concerns or progress on a regular basis in the form of written notes or emails to their child’s therapist. In addition, the therapist will try to regularly meet with parents briefly to discuss progress or concerns, but due to patient confidentiality rules, the waiting room is not an appropriate place for this discussion.

Maintaining Progress

As part of your child’s therapy, you may be asked to work with your child on different types of “homework.” In order for your child to make progress at a steady rate, it is important to complete the recommended homework as often as possible. However, it is understood that daily life can be very busy for families and it is important to not feel guilty if you cannot get to the homework each time. Just try to complete the work as often as possible.