First Visit
Before your first appointment you will receive an email with an invitation for a portal. Once you have logged into the portal you will have access to new client paperwork. Please complete this before your session, so that you and your counselor can make the most of your time together. The portal will also enable your counselor to send you appointment reminders.
If your child is the client, we ask parents to come alone for the first visit. Time alone gives you and your counselor the opportunity to openly discuss your concerns and what your goals for counseling are.
When you arrive at the office you will find a comfortable waiting area. During your first appointment you will discuss your reasons for coming to therapy with your counselor. This time will allow you and your counselor to identify the goals that are important to you and how we will work together to reach them.
Step 1: Getting to know each other
With all clients, children, families and therapists there is a period of getting to know each other. For some people this is very short, and others take longer to feel comfortable. For your child, this might look like the first day of school: exploring, learning names and rules, being very quiet. This could also include children testing limits to see how a counselor might react. You could expect this from one meeting to several, all kids move at their own pace.
Step 2: Treatment
Through working with you and your child, your counselor will regularly meet and discuss progress with you outside of the time that they spend with your child. You can ask to set aside time for this or your counselor will plan time together. Your counselor is also available to talk with teachers as well as other important people in your child’s life upon your request.
To help accelerate the work that is accomplished in sessions, your counselor will recommend steps that can be taken between sessions related to your goals. It is important that you take this piece of therapy very seriously. Therapy is a partnership. Without your participation, it will take longer, and results will be short lived.
Step 3: Teamwork
During your regular discussions with your counselor, you will be assessing progress made towards therapy goals. As a team, you and your counselor will decide when your goals have been met. Together you will create a plan to maintain the positive benefits you will find in therapy. For most people, this means seeing a counselor less and less often.
It is important to everyone at Therapy Academy that you know that we are always available if you would like to come back and see us or if they just want to give us an update on how great things are going!
