Supporting Your Child Through Therapy | Parent's Guide to Child Therapy

When a child begins therapy, parents and caregivers play a crucial role in their healing journey. Your support, understanding, and involvement can significantly impact the effectiveness of your child's therapeutic experience. Here's how you can best support your child through this important process.

Understanding Your Role

As a parent or caregiver, you are:

• Your child's primary support system: Your love and understanding provide the foundation for healing
• A valuable source of information: You know your child's history, patterns, and daily experiences
• A partner in the therapeutic process: Your involvement helps create consistency between therapy and home
• An advocate: You help ensure your child gets the support they need

Before Therapy Begins

Explaining Therapy to Your Child

For younger children (ages 4-8):

• "We're going to meet someone who helps children with their big feelings"
• "It's like having a special friend who knows lots about helping kids feel better"
• "You'll get to play and talk about things that are important to you"

For older children (ages 9-12):

• "Therapy is a safe place where you can talk about anything that's worrying you"
• "The therapist is specially trained to help children work through difficult feelings"
• "It's completely private unless you want to share what you talk about"

For teenagers:

• Be honest about your concerns while emphasizing their autonomy
• Acknowledge that therapy is their space and you respect their privacy
• Focus on your support rather than your expectations

Setting Realistic Expectations

• Progress takes time: Healing is not linear, and there may be ups and downs
• Change happens gradually: Small improvements often occur before big breakthroughs
• Resistance is normal: Some children may initially resist therapy or going to sessions
• Your child's pace matters: Every child processes and heals differently

During the Therapeutic Process

Creating a Supportive Home Environment

Emotional support:

• Validate your child's feelings without trying to "fix" everything
• Maintain routines and consistency to provide security
• Be patient with behavioural changes as your child processes their experiences
• Celebrate small victories and progress

Practical support:

• Ensure regular attendance at therapy sessions
• Arrive on time and prepared
• Create a calm transition before and after sessions
• Provide a quiet space at home for your child to decompress if needed

Communication with Your Child

Do:

• Ask general questions: "How are you feeling about therapy?"
• Let them share at their own pace
• Validate their experiences: "That sounds really important"
• Show interest without being intrusive

Don't:

• Pressure them to share details about sessions
• Dismiss their feelings or experiences
• Use therapy as a threat: "We'll tell your therapist about this"
• Compare their progress to other children

Working with the Therapist

Information sharing:

• Provide relevant background information
• Share observations about your child's behaviour at home
• Communicate any significant changes in your child's life
• Ask questions about how you can support the therapeutic work

Boundaries and confidentiality:

• Understand that your child's sessions are confidential
• Trust the therapeutic process even when you don't see immediate changes
• Respect your child's relationship with their therapist
• Discuss any concerns directly with the therapist rather than through your child

Common Challenges and How to Handle Them

"I Don't Want to Go to Therapy"

Possible reasons:

• Fear of the unknown
• Worry about confidentiality
• Feeling like something is "wrong" with them
• Previous negative experiences

How to help:

• Acknowledge their feelings without dismissing them
• Remind them therapy is about feeling better, not being "fixed"
• Offer small incentives for attendance while addressing underlying concerns
• Work with the therapist to understand and address the resistance

Behavioural Changes During Therapy

It's common for children to experience:

• Temporary increase in difficult behaviours: As they process emotions
• Emotional ups and downs: Working through issues can bring up strong feelings
• Changes in sleep or appetite: Processing can affect physical wellbeing
• Testing boundaries: As they work through relationship dynamics

Remember: These changes often indicate that therapy is working, not that it's failing.

Feeling Left Out of the Process

For parents who feel excluded:

• Remember that confidentiality builds trust between your child and therapist
• Focus on changes you observe at home rather than session content
• Ask the therapist for general guidance on supporting your child
• Consider your own therapy if you're struggling with your child's issues

Supporting Different Age Groups

Early Childhood (Ages 3-6)

Special considerations:

• Play is their primary language of communication
• They may express therapy experiences through play at home
• Regression in behaviour is common and usually temporary
• They need extra reassurance about your love and support

How to help:

• Provide plenty of unstructured play time
• Read books about feelings and emotions
• Maintain consistent routines
• Use simple language to acknowledge their therapy work

School Age (Ages 7-11)

Special considerations:

• They're developing more sophisticated emotional vocabulary
• School performance may be affected during therapy
• Peer relationships become increasingly important
• They may have questions about why they're in therapy

How to help:

• Communicate with school about your child's therapeutic work (with consent)
• Help them develop emotional vocabulary at home
• Support friendships and social connections
• Answer questions honestly and age-appropriately

Adolescence (Ages 12+)

Special considerations:

• Independence and privacy become crucial
• Identity formation is a central focus
• They may resist parental involvement
• Peer influence increases significantly

How to help:

• Respect their need for privacy while staying connected
• Focus on your relationship rather than therapy content
• Support their growing independence
• Be available without being intrusive

When to Be Concerned

Contact the therapist if you notice:

• Significant regression in functioning
• Expressions of self-harm or harm to others
• Complete withdrawal from family and friends
• Persistent sleep or eating disturbances
• Severe behavioural changes that don't improve over time

Long-term Support

Building Emotional Intelligence

• Model healthy emotional expression
• Validate feelings while teaching coping skills
• Create family traditions that support emotional wellbeing
• Encourage creative expression through art, music, or writing

Preventing Future Issues

• Maintain open communication
• Continue to support your child's emotional vocabulary
• Seek early intervention if new concerns arise
• Consider family therapy when appropriate

Taking Care of Yourself

Supporting a child through therapy can be emotionally demanding:

• Seek your own support: Consider therapy for yourself if needed
• Practice self-care: You can't pour from an empty cup
• Connect with other parents: Share experiences with others who understand
• Celebrate progress: Acknowledge both your child's growth and your own efforts

Remember

Your child's therapeutic journey is ultimately theirs, but your love, patience, and support provide the foundation that makes healing possible. Trust the process, trust your child, and trust yourself as their primary source of love and security.

Therapy is not just about addressing problems—it's about building resilience, emotional intelligence, and healthy coping skills that will serve your child throughout their life. Your support during this process is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.

Every child's therapy journey is unique. Stay flexible, patient, and hopeful. With your support and professional guidance, your child can develop the tools they need for emotional wellbeing and healthy relationships throughout their life.