Parents & Carers

A parent & carer guide to supporting a young person who is attending therapy

A young person’s therapy is really important – and YOU are the best person to support them!

Here are a few tips for how to support your young person to have the best therapy experience possible.

Starting therapy can feel like a big step for young people. It’s a good idea to remind them that therapy is normal and most people need support at different times of their lives.

Some young people might prefer that other people don’t know that they are coming to therapy, others might be quite happy to chat about it. You should respect their privacy by not discussing their therapy with others. Allow them to take the lead with who and what they are comfortable sharing.

Confidentiality

All young people are entitled to confidentiality within the confines of their session at PAC. This means that what is discussed in session will be kept private between the young person and their therapist. Information will not be shared unless the young person has agreed to it. This is an essential part of therapy and means the young person can feel safe to share whatever they might need to without worrying what others will think or say. All therapists adhere to a code of ethics for their profession which includes keeping a client’s session private.

The only exception to this is where a therapist may have concerns over the safety of a young person or concerns about someone else’s safety due to something the young person has shared. At the beginning of therapy the therapist will explain to the young person that in an instance where they deem the young person, or someone else, to be at significant risk of harm, they would need to share this information with the appropriate person. This could be a parent or carer, school or appropriate outside agency. The young person will be informed of this and included in the discussion as much as possible.

All staff are strictly bound by PAC Safeguarding and Child Protection procedures.

Supporting your child in therapy

One of the most helpful factors in the progress of therapy is the support for therapy in the young person’s home environment. You can support your child while they are attending PAC by demonstrating an understanding that therapy is normal and useful. Some young people may want to talk about their sessions while others may wish to keep it private. Please let your child decide for themselves if they want to share anything by letting them know you are there for them if they want to talk but by avoiding asking direct questions about what they said and did. We recognise that parents might be anxious to know what is being said in session but by respecting your child’s privacy you are showing that you trust them.

Your child’s behaviour whilst they are attending therapy may vary, it is not unusual for there to be a period where things appear worse. This is a natural reaction to working through difficulties, especially those associated with difficult memories or emotions. It is important to remember through this time that they are in the process of healing and may need extra understanding when some of those emotions are closer to the surface. If you are at all concerned then please contact PAC and ask to speak to their therapist.

Please note that the sessions here could involve the use of messy art and craft materials. If you are concerned about damage to your child’s clothing we ask that you provide your child with an overall or old clothes to wear for the session. There are toilets here if your child wants to get changed.

What if I don’t want my child to access therapy?

If a young person requests therapy and has been informed of what it will involve, then they have a human right to access this provision. Parents and carers cannot deny them this right. However, it is rare for parents to refuse a child therapy and in this instance we would want to talk with the parents to understand what their fears might be. We would prefer to have the support of the parents or carers as this can make a positive difference in how the young person responds to the sessions. We would hope that the young person has appropriate support outside of the sessions so that they can freely explore whatever issues they need to.

Attendance

Attendance at PAC is voluntary and therapy only works if the young person wants help and support. Sometimes young people have referred themselves. Appointments are made at a time that suits the needs of the young person, limited after school appointments are available. We do find that most schools are understanding about the young person taking time out of school to attend PAC.

Your child will be invited to attend an initial session where they get to meet the therapist they will be working with and they can decide if attending further sessions would be useful. We encourage parents to bring their child to the first session to support attendance. Sometimes this is a shorter session and we ask parents and carers to wait in our waiting area so that they are there at the end. The session itself will be for the young person and therapist only and we would ask parents/carers to ring the therapist separately if they have any questions or concerns they want to share.

Arriving at PAC

Support your young person to arrive on time, feeling calm and ready to begin their therapy session.

Regular attendance is key for successful therapy but we understand that sometimes things crop up. If you are going to be late or are unable to attend, please let us know and don’t panic!

Let your young person decide what they want to share with us on arrival.

If you have information that you feel that you need to share with us please call or email outside of the therapy appointment.

Waiting at PAC

• You are welcome to wait in our waiting area during your young person’s therapy session.
• Help us to create a calm, quiet and safe environment for young people receiving therapy:
• Please consider taking noisy conversations or phone calls outside.
• It is important not to let other people into the building. Staff members will answer the door.
• Please support your young person’s privacy by not talking about them to other visitors.

After the session

Your young person may need a bit of support after their session. This could include quiet time, a walk, going to the shop- it might be helpful to plan this ahead of time.

The sessions are confidential, so please let your young person know that they can talk to you about them as much or as little as they like. If they choose to talk about things that have come up in therapy, listen to them.

Reflecting back to them what you have heard and asking whether you have got it right is a good way to show that you have listened and care about understanding them. If you would like support with this, please get in touch.

At home

Being a parent or carer can feel really hard at times. Therapy is not about blaming or shaming.

Therapy can stir up a young person’s feelings, so please be patient and understanding and don’t take it personally.

If a young person seems to be a lot more unsettled and this is not getting better over time, please contact us.

Encourage your young person to talk about their feelings with you or their therapist.

Look after yourself! Model good self-care and consider finding your own support to help you.