How to Talk to Your Child About Their first Counselling Appointment

Many parents, after scheduling their child’s first session with me, ask, “How do I explain counselling to my child? What do I tell them about this appointment?”

Here’s what I share with them…

• Set aside a quiet time to have the discussion.

• Briefly, in a couple of sentences, talk about the challenges that your family or your child has been having. Stick with the facts including what you’ve tried to help so far and how it’s worked out.

• Let them know that you have decided to ask for more help and you’ve made an appointment to see a counsellor. Explain that a counsellor is someone who helps people understand their thoughts and feelings, and to find ways for them to feel the best they can. Explain to your child that they can talk to a counsellor about anything. Some of the things children talk to counsellors about are struggles with friendships, school, their parents, their siblings, and their big feelings. Tell them that sometimes talking about how they feel can help them to feel better. Sometimes it’s also helpful to learn ways to calm down when feelings feel very big and overwhelming, and counsellors can teach those skills too.

• Tell them when the appointment is, the counsellor’s name and what they’ll do there. * You can let your child know that in the first session I talk about what a counsellor is, confidentiality and the limits to it (age dependent), play a get to know each other game, allow the child to explore the office and, if time, ask about what has been going well and what has been challenging in their life lately.

• Ask if they have any questions, thoughts or feelings about the upcoming appointment.