Why Parents Are Essential In Their Child's Therapy Journey

So you took the brave step to reach out to a child therapist for support with your child. Now you might be wondering what happens next? Most likely a child therapist is going to request to meet with you the caregiver first, you might be wondering why? I called them to work with my child, not me.

One reason a therapist is going to want to meet with you first, is to gather as much information about your child and the reason you sought out services. Some questions might include:

• What made you seek out help?

• Has there been any significant changes in your child’s life? 

• What behaviors are you noticing in your child?

• When did these behaviors begin?

• What are your goals for your child?

Another reason a therapist is going to want to meet with you first, is to better understand how the concerns you are having with your child’s behavior are impacting you. When a child is struggling,  parents are often struggling alongside them. A child therapist is going to want to understand how you are managing the concerns you have with your child, how you respond to your child's behaviors, how you are doing as a parent and how the therapist can be of support to you.

So now what happens throughout the process of the therapy and what is my involvement?

Therapists are trained in various modalities and interventions. Most evidenced based treatment for children is going to include the caregiver and a significant portion of the therapy will be dedicated to supporting you as well. This is why your involvement is so crucial. Research shows us that parental involvement in treatment increases the efficacy of the interventions that the therapist is providing to address the concerns with your child.

Here are some reasons why your involvement is so important:

1. You are your child’s closest and biggest supporter

2.You have insight into your child’s life

3. You are a role model for your child

4. You are the expert in knowing your child

5. You can reinforce and encourage the use of the skills learned in therapy at home

6. You receive support

At Child Therapy Solutions all of our treatments are evidenced based and have a significant level of caregiver involvement. Here is look at our various treatment interventions and what parental involvement looks like.

Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)  is an evidenced based treatment for children and adolescents impacted by trauma. Parent involvement is an integral part of the TF-CBT model and parents receive as much time in the treatment as children. During most TF-CBT sessions, the therapist spends about 30 minutes individually with the child and 30 minutes individually with the parent. Conjoint child-parent sessions are included as well. 

Your involvement in your child’s TF-CBT therapy has the following benefits:

1. Encourages you and your child to have open children-parent communication, both generally and related to your child’s specific trauma

2. You learn and encourage your child to use relaxation skills in the home and in turn you can benefit from the strategies yourself

3. You can have a safe space to talk with the therapist about difficult topics related to your child

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is an evidence-based treatment for helping children recover from trauma and other stressful life events. Parental involvement is crucial in EMDR as well.

Your involvement in your child’s EMDR therapy has the following benefits:

1. You will learn interventions to co-regulate with your child to help them overcome their difficult symptoms

2. Your support helps your child be able to reprocess the difficult event with you as a supporter in their process

Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)  is an evidence based treatment for young children 0-5 who have experienced at least one traumatic event. If you have a very young child you know how important you are to your child’s day to day life and how they depend on you for all of their needs. In Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) your engagement is crucial because your relationship with your child is the vehicle to restoring their functioning after a difficult or traumatic event. 

Your involvement in your child’s CPP therapy has the following benefits:

1. Repairs the parent-child attachment

2. Through the parent child relationship your child’s cognitive, behavioral and social functioning is restored  

3. Helps you to better understand your past experiences and how they show up in your parenting

SPACE  (Supportive Parenting of Anxious Childhood Emotions)

Space is a parent only intervention. The unique feature with SPACE is we do not need to ever meet with your child to see improvement in your child’s anxiety symptoms. 

Your involvement in your child's SPACE therapy has the following benefits:

1. You learn strategies to implement that improve your child's ability to cope with anxiety

2. You recognize patterns in your own behavior 

3. Your support and encourage your child’s resilience 

As you can see your involvement in your child’s therapy is essential for so many reasons. The bond between parent and child is a powerful force, capable of driving therapeutic progress and fostering resilience in the face of adversity. Your consistent support and engagement can make all the difference in your child's therapeutic experience and overall well-being. Reach out to Child Therapy Solutions , therapy for children and parents in North Carolina. I look forward to joining with you in this process.