Child and Teen Therapy FAQ
1. How do I know if my child or teen needs therapy? If your child seems persistently sad, anxious, withdrawn, or is struggling at school or with friendships, therapy can help. You don't need to wait for a crisis. With teens especially, sometimes the signs are subtler: pulling away from family, dropping grades, irritability, changes in sleep, or just seeming like they've lost interest in things they used to enjoy. If something feels off and it's been going on for a while, it's worth having a conversation with a therapist.
2. What happens in a first session? The first session is mostly about getting to know your child and understanding what's going on. For younger children, parents are usually involved in this initial conversation. For teens, we give them space to share in their own words, at their own pace. It's low pressure, and there's no expectation to have everything figured out before walking in the door.
3. Will my teen actually have to talk about their feelings? Not in any forced way. Some teens come in ready to talk, others need time to warm up. Therapists might use games, creative tools, or just casual conversation to get things moving. The goal is for it to feel more like a real conversation than an appointment. Most teens are surprised by how different it feels from what they expected.
4. Will you tell me everything my teen says in sessions? Sessions are confidential, which is actually an important part of why therapy works. Teens need to know they have a space where they can be completely honest without it getting back to their parents. That said, parents are kept informed of overall progress and are brought into the process regularly. Confidentiality does have limits if there is ever a safety concern.
5. My teen refuses to go. What do I do? Resistance is very common, especially with teenagers. Being dragged to therapy by a parent is not exactly their idea of a good time. Our therapists are used to this and are skilled at building trust slowly, without pressure. Sometimes just getting them in the door once is enough. It helps to frame it not as "something is wrong with you" but as "you deserve someone in your corner."
6. What kinds of things do teens work on in therapy? All kinds of things: anxiety, depression, school stress, friendship issues, family conflict, identity, self-esteem, social media pressure, and more. Teens also work on practical skills like managing big emotions, communicating better with parents, handling peer pressure, and making decisions they feel good about. It's not all heavy lifting. A lot of it is just learning to understand yourself better.
7. How long will my teen be in therapy? It depends on what they're working through. Some teens make meaningful progress in a few months. Others benefit from longer term support. Your therapist will check in with you regularly about goals and progress, and there's no pressure to continue beyond what feels useful.
8. Do you involve parents in teen sessions? Yes, in a balanced way. Teens need their space, but parents are an important part of the process. We may include parents in portions of sessions, provide regular updates, and offer strategies to use at home. The goal is to strengthen the whole family, not just work with the teen in isolation. We take the parent-teen relationship seriously and try to support both sides of it.
9. What is the Sensory Room and who can use it? Our Sensory Room is a dedicated space for unstructured movement and play with no agenda or pressure. It's available to clients of all ages, including teens. Not everyone processes best by sitting and talking, and the Sensory Room gives people the freedom to move, decompress, and just be themselves. It can be a surprisingly powerful part of the therapeutic experience.
10. What if my teen is dealing with something I don't know about? That's actually one of the most important reasons to consider therapy. Teenagers often carry things they don't feel comfortable bringing to their parents, not because they don't love them, but because they don't want to worry them, disappoint them, or start a conflict. Having a therapist gives them a trusted adult to work through those things with, so they're not carrying it alone.