CHILDRENS THERAPY SERVICES BRISBANE

Children and Parents

Psychologists skilled at supporting you

Please note: Room to Grow provides support for children ages ten and up. We offer parent only sessions for children under ten.

Our team of psychologists are experienced in working with children and their parents across a range of presenting problems. With backgrounds in working across primary schools, public health and private practices, our team of qualified psychologists are skilled at supporting you as you navigate support for your child.

Practical strategies to help your child

Whether your child is anxious, angry, acting out, grieving, self-conscious, or adjusting to change, we can provide a range of practical strategies to help your child and to help the rest of the family support positive change and growth.

Frequently asked questions by parents

You may have some questions about what individual therapy for your child looks like. We understand completely, and that’s why we have gathered together some of the most frequently asked questions we receive, to help alleviate any potential stress.

How does the first session work for a child client?

The purpose of a first session is to gain a good understanding of what has brought your child to therapy. Your psychologist will explore relevant background information as well as all aspects of their current behaviour (for example, whether your child has any difficulties with sleep, appetite, socialising, or communication).

For many parents, they prefer to have some time one-on-one with the psychologist to discuss their observations and their concerns freely. Depending on your child’s age, they may be happy to wait in our waiting room with a book. If there is another adult who could wait with them while the parent has this one-on-one time with the psychologist, this is preferable.

Your psychologist will allow enough time at the end of the session to spend time getting to know your child and beginning to build some rapport. If you are happy to share all of your concerns and observations with your child present, your psychologist will be happy to see you for the session together.

Do you need both parents to attend session one?

It is always helpful to meet both parents to gain key insights and observations. However, we understand that this may not always be possible. If a parent is not able to attend, but wishes to provide information, we can either include a phone call to that parent during the first session or you can write out the information and have the other parent bring it to the appointment.

If the parents are separated/divorced, do you want to see them separately?

It is generally better if your psychologist can see you together, however if this is too stressful, please let us know.

Will I be coming into the session with my child?

Sometimes it is helpful to have parents sit in with their child for all or part of the session. However, for the majority of sessions, your child will work with their psychologist and you will come in for the last 10-15 minutes. This allows your child and psychologist to run through what they have discussed/learned.