Children can greatly benefit from therapy, but parents need to be just as involved to reap the maximum benefits. However, this does not necessarily mean parents must attend each children’s therapy session (though this is sometimes encouraged!). By supporting therapy goals at home, parents can help keep therapy’s positive results continuous over a child’s weekly experience instead of a one-and-done instance once that week’s appointment is over.
Parents’ role in their child’s therapy success cannot be overstated. The following offers some practical tips for parents to effectively partner with their child’s therapist, maintain therapeutic momentum between sessions, and create a home environment that supports their child’s mental health goals and overall emotional well-being.
Stay Updated on Goals
For parents to properly support their children’s therapy efforts, they must understand what those efforts are. Parents should remain apprised of changes and objectives as the therapist continues to set goals for the child (and as the child chooses goals for themselves). This helps them curate their own behavior to work with, not against, the progress the child is making.
Create a Routine
Children do best when they know what to expect, and creating a consistent routine is one of the best ways to support that. Consider setting aside a specific time or activity every day where the child can practice what they have learned.
For example, if the child is struggling with anxiety, the family may find it helpful to have a meal together, take deep breaths for a couple of minutes, and share something positive that happened that day. Creating this routine helps the child enjoy a few moments of calm each day and teaches them how to practice this deep breathing exercise on their own whenever they need it.
Stay in Touch
Parents can effectively support their child’s therapy goals by staying in contact with the therapist regularly. Whether the therapist provides further information about changes to the therapy strategy or simply updates about things going well, this catch-up time also allows the parent to share what is happening at home that may cause the therapist to revise their approach, leading to a better outcome for the child.
Get Everyone Involved
When the whole family is invested in seeing a child succeed, that child knows that they are supported no matter who they are with. This can increase a child’s enjoyment of therapy and practicing their new behaviors. They can have more examples of the behavior they need to model. However, not all families are a good fit for joint therapy, so it is always important to listen to a therapist’s guidance about whether this strategy is right for a specific situation.
Be Patient
Therapy is not a constant upward trajectory of success. It is common for children to take a few steps backward or stagnate sometimes, and that is all right. Parents should remain patient as the child adjusts to their new thought processes, habits, and goals. When children are not scolded for their “failures” in therapy or chided for “how long” it is taking them to make progress, they are more likely to continue to be willing to attend.
Conversely, parents who consistently pressure their child or allege that the therapy strategies are “not that hard,” even in the context of “It’s not that hard; you can do it!” may decrease a child’s engagement. They may become less confident in their abilities or lose faith in their therapist’s trustworthiness and knowledge.
Get Excited
Small victories are still victories! Families who get excited each time a child accomplishes something create a more supportive environment where the child feels cherished, important, and successful. Even if no evident progress has occurred, acknowledging that the child is working hard can make all the difference.
One of the best ways to celebrate a child’s therapy experience is to work with the child to determine what is most exciting to them. Would they enjoy a small treat whenever they complete X number of sessions? Would they prefer to go to one of their favorite places? Maybe they want praise. Comprehending the child’s personality allows parents to get excited in a way that most resonates with them.
Support Your Children’s Therapy Goals at Home
A child can progress in therapy independently, but this success can be magnified when their parents offer support. Whether through new modeling behaviors at home or words of praise and affirmation, parents have plenty of options for showing their support.
Contact Village Counseling today to schedule your child’s therapy appointment and discuss with their therapist how you might best support their goals, both in the therapist’s office and at home.