Child and Young Adolescent Therapy

14 Years and Younger

Session Format

Following intake, child therapy sessions will typically involve the following format:

Start (Updates/Session Plan)

One-on-one time with the parent to discuss updates and confirm focus areas for the session

Middle (Intervention/Check-in)

One-on-one time with the child

or

Dual time with the parent and child if planned strategies/education for the session requires a parent, or the child would like their parent present.

End (Summary/Homework)

Dual time with the parent and child at the end of the session to summarise content and plan any homework between sessions.

Breaks

All children and adolescents will be offered breaks throughout the appointment. Depending on the age, abilities, mood of your child and established rapport rapport, your child may require more or less breaks.

Generally each child/adolescent is offered one break without a therapeutic focus at the end of the session, and one with a therapeutic focus halfway through the session.

Breaks include games, drawing, or discussing a topic of interest to them.

Games

Are games used in sessions?

Absolutely!

As mentioned above games can be used to ensure that your child has a break during the session. However, games are frequently used beyond this as a therapeutic tool. Some of the reasons why games are used beyond providing breaks are to:

  • Facilitate communication - children and adolescents are often more willing to discuss their emotions when they are preoccupied with a game

  • Build rapport

  • Teach therapeutic, social, communication and executive functioning skills

  • Create a safe space

  • Gamify learning

Important Consideration

Would my child benefit from therapy?

All children can benefit from therapeutic support.

However, as is the case for any therapeutic journey, change exists primarily outside of the psychology room.

Psychology sessions account for 1 hour in 336 if you are seeing your psychologist once per fortnight.

As such, child therapy requires parents to be heavily involved in making sure therapeutic strategies/interventions are practiced or integrated between sessions.

For families that do not have the time or space to provide this, therapy can still provide a safe space for your child to check-in and debrief. However, larger changes to emotional reasoning and regulation will be more limited.

How can we make the most of therapy sessions?

  • Bring a notepad to record important points.

  • Write down important moments that occur between sessions.

  • Encourage your child, if they are able, to write or type down things that they might want to discuss at the next appointment.

  • For children taking medication to help with concentration, ensure that this has been taken with enough time before sessions.