Compared to when looking for a therapist for yourself, finding a therapist for you child can be a bit trickier. Rather than considering your needs and your personal reactions to therapists, you must now consider those of your child. Here are some things that we recommend parents look for when searching for a therapist.

Expertise

Look for someone who has experience delivering evidence-based child psychotherapy. From our perspective, having experience conducting research in the field of child psychology should also be seen as a major plus. 

Likability

Either because it wasn’t their choice to go or because they don’t know what to expect, children often have a harder time going to therapy than adults. Because of this, finding someone who your child enjoys being with is especially important. Clinicians working with kids should be the kind of people that are fun and easy to be around—someone who is not afraid to play and act silly. Talented child therapists will infuse this type of positive interaction into evidence-based therapeutic action.

Curiosity

It is ideal to find a therapist who is really going to get to know your child and your family. They should be curious about your child’s thoughts and feelings and your wishes as a parent. Using all of the information that is gathered about your child and your family, they will arrive at a plan of action that best suits your child.

Professionalism

It is important to settle on a therapist who will be professional and responsible in how they communicate information to you. When working with a minor (under age 18), the legal rights of confidentiality rests with the parents or legal guardian of the child. This means that if you wanted to, you could know almost everything about your child’s therapy. Keeping tabs on your child’s therapy, however, is almost never in their best interest. It can be incredibly powerful for your child to feel like the therapist is an outsider and that the information that they are sharing is not going to be exposed or cause offense. In fact, more often than not, this arrangement is a crucial component of successful therapy—allowing the therapist to help the child develop their voice while supporting the parents’ concerns. Even when it was not the child’s decision to attend therapy, permitting the therapist to have some liberty regarding what is shared with the parents often allows a special relationship to develop between the child and therapist in which the child views the therapist as a supportive figure who will unconditionally help them achieve their goals. With this in mind, we usually recommend that therapists and parents have an agreement before therapy starts that the therapist will share big picture concerns with parents, while keeping the day-to-day aspects of therapy between the child and the therapist. Additionally, our clinicians encourage parents to reach out to them at any time with questions, concerns, or if they wish to share important information.