FIRST
APPOINTMENT – THERAPY SHOPPING
WHAT TO EXPECT
1) Some therapists
consider the first session a time for evaluation. They will want to collect
enough information to determine what, if any, treatment might be most helpful.
They will spend time during the first appointment asking questions. Those
who see the first meeting as the beginning of treatment will gather information
and begin by making comments or suggestions.
2) Therapists
vary as to which members of the family they wish to see for the first appointment.
Some will want to talk with parents, without the youngster; some will want
to see the parents and youngster together; and some will want to see the
entire family, even though the parents are concerned about only one of
their children. Usually, with children under twelve or thirteen, therapists
will not ask to see the child first. If the therapist wants to see your
child first, you may ask for you (and your spouse/partner) to have the
first appointment. Explain that you want to make sure the therapist is
someone with whom you will be able to work comfortably.
3) If the therapist
meets with you alone, he/she will probably ask about your child’s early
development, including the pregnancy and birth, the child’s feeding and
sleeping patterns, speech and motor development, toilet training, medical
history, school history, and relationships with peers, siblings, parents,
and other adults. A therapist may also ask you (and your spouse/partner)
for a brief summary of your own childhood, your relationship, and marriage,
and inquire how your other children are doing. Most important, all therapists
will want to know about the specific problems that led you to seek professional
help and why you sought help at this particular time.
4) If the therapist
meets with the entire family, the focus of the first session will probably
be very different. The therapist will want to observe how that child and
the other children get along in the family. The therapist may discourage
talking about any one youngster and instead ask you all to re-create situations
right in the office where he/she can see things firsthand. Even in the
first session the therapist may attempt to suggest to you ways of handling
problems differently from the way you usually do.
5) More often
than not people come away from a first appointment with many unanswered
questions. To avoid this frustration, request ten minutes at the end of
your session for a question-and-answer period. You may want to bring some
of the suggested questions, and/or write down some of your own beforehand
for this first appointment.
