What Should I Expect in the First Online Therapy Session for My Child with Pelican Psychology?
Making the decision to book online therapy for your child is a big step, and it’s normal to have plenty of questions about what to expect. To help ease any worries, here’s an overview of what our first session together might look like, along with answers to the top three questions parents ask.
1. Who Should Come to the First Session?
The short answer is, it really depends. In our initial phone call, we’ll talk about whether it’s best for me to meet with you for a parent session, or whether your child should for the first session. Sometimes it’s helpful to start with a parent session, where we can discuss the reasons you’ve booked therapy and explore your family’s current circumstances. This gives me a fuller picture of what’s going on before I meet with your child.
If we decide to begin with a family session, we may follow up with a separate parent session later. This can give you a chance to share more from your perspective and receive suggestions on ways to support your child as we move forward.
2. What Will the First Session Be Like for My Child?
My top priority in the first session is to create a comfortable and safe space for both you and your child. We’ll start by going over a few basics, like confidentiality, so everyone understands the privacy of our sessions and the rare exceptions where I may need to share information for safety reasons.
After that, we’ll focus on making your child feel relaxed. I often encourage parents to stay for the beginning of the session, and together we’ll decide if it’s best for you to stay throughout or if I’ll spend some time alone with your child. To help us connect, I like to use interactive features on Zoom or Microsoft Teams, like the interactive whiteboard and screen sharing. Sometimes we’ll play an online game or two, like Connect 4 or Noughts and Crosses, or work on a family tree to start building our relationship.
For some children, getting to know each other is just enough for a first meeting, especially if they’re feeling extremely nervous. Other children may feel ready to talk about what’s been going on. In that case, we’ll start the assessment stage of our work together where I’ll ask some questions to get a sense of the difficulties they’re experiencing and how it’s impacting their life. We’ll also explore any goals you and your child might have for therapy. This assessment part of our work together is really important as it can help us develop a shared understanding of what may be happening and provides a framework for how our work together may look. If we don’t start this in the first session, we will incorporate this into our next session.
3. How Long Will the First Session Last?
The standard session length is 50 minutes, which research suggests is ideal for helping clients feel safe and focused. However, I know that sitting for 50 minutes can be tough for some children, especially online! If you think a shorter session might be better for your child, we can discuss this in our initial phone call. During our first session, I’ll also be assessing whether a full session is a good fit and will share any recommendations about session length as we make a plan for moving forward.
Starting therapy can feel like a big step, I’m here to make the process as smooth and supportive as possible. Each session at Pelican Psychology is tailored to meet your family’s needs, creating a comfortable and engaging experience for you and your child right from the beginning.