6 Child Psychology Questions Worth Asking Your Kid’s Therapist

Parenting is never easy and given the host of emotions, tantrums and behavioural changes that children go through, it can be easy to feel defeated. As parent’s it is necessary to give as much importance to the mental health of the child as their physical health. And now with therapists being more accessible especially in cities and online, there is no excuse to ignore the mental health of your child. 

In most cases, academic or peer pressure, hormonal changes, stress, or anxiety are some of the most common factors that may lead to temper issues and if you’re not sure how to deal with it, it’s time to take a visit to a child psychologist.

However, as a parent, your mind could be crowded by endless questions around the therapy like – will your child get treated with the consultation, how will the entire process take place, what solution will the therapist recommend, and many others.

Thus, if you’re also experiencing these thoughts and are struggling with the decision of taking your kid for treatment, then this guide will help address a few of your concerns. If it’s your first consultation with a child therapist, here is a handy guide of child psychologist questions to get you started. 

Questions to ask a child psychologist:

• How to determine if your child needs the services of a psychologist?

The best way to identify if your child needs to visit a psychologist is by checking if their troubled emotional state is affecting their daily lifestyle, their relationship with you or their friends, etc. Considerable decline in academic performance, failing to regulate their emotions are other vital signs that you must watch out for and indicate that they need help. Neglecting any of these signs can be drastic for your kid, so if you think your child can benefit from therapy, consult a psychologist today.

Q: How does the therapy or sessions commence?

The child psychologist first meets with the parents. From understanding your family, the history of the problem, what has worked or not worked so far in order to combat the issue to learning about your child’s strengths and pitfalls. They would establish rapport with the child, assess the problem and tailor make a treatment specifically for the child.

Q: How long should we wait for the therapy sessions to conclude?

Ideally, there isn’t any fixed time or count of sessions that can guarantee a 100% success rate. It all depends on the severity of the problem and how comfortable the kid is with the therapist. If the situation is severe and has impacted different areas of your child’s life, the sessions can continue for months/year, however, in the other case, a few sessions should be enough to diagnose the issue and resolve it.

Q: How long should we wait for the therapy sessions to conclude?

Ideally, there isn’t any fixed time or count of sessions that can guarantee a 100% success rate. It all depends on the severity of the problem and how comfortable the kid is with the therapist. If the situation is severe and has impacted different areas of your child’s life, the sessions can continue for months/year, however, in the other case, a few sessions should be enough to diagnose the issue and resolve it.

Q: How would the child psychologist go about working with the said problem?

The child psychologist in their training and knowledge is equipped to work with a vast array of child related issues. They would help your child learn useful strategies for coping in areas where they struggle.

Some psychologists rely on historical background and explore your kid's past, while some believe in changing your kid’s current routine to bring in desirable changes in their emotional and mental state.

The therapists can help you find answers to all child psychology questions and help your kids communicate better, train their minds to think of situations from a different perspective, to learn to manage anger, frustration, and other negative emotions, etc.

Some psychologists rely on historical background and explore your kid's past, while some believe in changing your kid’s current routine to bring in desirable changes in their emotional and mental state.

The therapists can help you find answers to all child psychology questions and help your kids communicate better, train their minds to think of situations from a different perspective, to learn to manage anger, frustration, and other negative emotions, etc.

From communicating better, to be able think of situations from different perspective, to learn to manage anger, frustration and other negative emotions, etc. Along with working with the child they would also work with parents, to help them effectively support their child and even help them with parenting their children in difficult situations.

Q: Should parents also get involved in therapy?

Ideally yes, child psychologists collaboratively work with parents. Working in collaboration with the child psychologists helps coming up with ideas best suited in order to help your child. With young children parents end up being more actively involved where as with older children parent’s input is vital. It also helps with keeping the parent’s in loop about the progress and the areas of development. There could even be family sessions depending on the problem.

Q: Is it a good idea to involve parents in the counseling sessions?

Yes, it surely is. Children up to the age of 8 – 10 years often look up to their parents for help and keeping in mind the same aspect, all major psychologists prefer making parents a part of the entire therapy session.

Your mutual collaboration with the therapist and physical presence can also bring comfort to your child during the process, keeps you notified about the progress report., and allows you to support your child in these testing moments.

Q: How can I convince my child to meet with the child psychologist?

Not every kid is people-friendly and if your kid is one, he/she might get nervous about the prospect of meeting a psychologist. However, you can try encouraging your child to be friends with them, and share their thoughts/feelings with them freely even if you aren’t there.

In case, your child is a teen, you can try convincing them to try out 1-2 sessions and if they feel it’s working for them, to continue and if not, feel free to step out. You can also state how sharing the problem with the therapist can lessen their mental stress alongside helping them deal with life situations such as school pressure, bullying, self image and more.

Seeking therapy or counselling for your child does not mean that you are not a bad parent but in fact you are a parent that recognizes that your child requires help to reduce their suffering and improve their overall wellbeing.

A child psychologist knows the right questions to ask a child in therapy and portrays himself not as a parent but a guide to help your child cope and do better. To learn more about seeking therapy for your child, call us @ +919741476476.