Therapy, whether in-person or remote, is effective to the extent that the client is willing to put forth the necessary work to effect change. In other words, your therapy will only work if you and your child are invested in the process. Consistent attendance is key for children’s success in therapy. The clinician will assess your child’s needs, present you with treatment options and assist you with putting your plan into action. If further assessments are required, your child may be referred for additional services. Possible referrals may include a referral for psychological or neuropsychological testing, medical evaluations, dietetics or other therapy services, such as physical or occupational therapy.
The choice to enter therapy is personal and it is our goal to provide you with a trusting environment. We encourage you to involve your child in the process of choosing a clinician. After several therapy sessions, it should be clearer to both your child and the clinician whether a rapport is being built and whether it is an appropriate match. Should the formation of a therapeutic relationship not occur, the clinician will assist you with finding other treatment options.
Therapists come in many forms. During your search for providers, you have likely come across many different types of clinicians with varying levels of experience. At CBH, our clinicians are licensed clinical psychologists who completed at least 5 years of graduate level work to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology. They also worked for at least 12 months in a postdoctoral fellowship program and passed the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology to earn a license to practice clinical psychology in the state of Illinois.
Additionally, we require all CBH psychologists to obtain Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) from the PSYPACT Commission, so they are certified to practice telepsychology under PSYPACT in multiple allied states listed here.
All sessions are conducted via telepsychology. For all minors, we ask that one or both parents complete the first session without their child or adolescent. During the first session, the clinician will conduct a thorough interview to assess your child’s needs. The clinician will ask questions related to your child’s medical history and current physical functioning. Additionally, past and current social functioning will be assessed. Any questions you have regarding our services should be addressed at this session. The assessment phase of therapy may take up to three sessions to gather the necessary clinical information and answer questions for parents.
Once the assessment process is completed, your clinician will discuss preliminary diagnostic impressions and a potential treatment plan.
There is no quick way to determine exactly how long your child will require treatment. Most clinicians will be able to provide you with a rough estimate of the treatment duration; however, life circumstances and the ability to acquire the appropriate coping skills will largely dictate how long the treatment will last.
We encourage you to expect no less than three months of consistent treatment for the clinician to thoroughly assess your child’s needs. It generally takes the clinician six to 12 weekly sessions to build a strong rapport and to determine the length of the treatment plan. We encourage weekly sessions at the beginning and middle of treatment.
As the ability to maintain progress becomes more consistent, sessions will typically decrease in frequency. Children generally step down to less frequent sessions during school breaks because it is an ideal time to challenge their independence. The clinician will assess your child’s treatment needs and make the appropriate recommendations while working toward termination of therapy.
It is best to focus on therapy as a learning tool. Similar to your child’s other daily activities, therapy sessions are meant to provide instruction in a safe and fun environment. Most children and adolescents are willing to learn new coping skills. We invite you to share this website with your child and identify their clinician prior to attending the visit. They are also able to view photos of the waiting room and the therapy offices.
If your child is shy or fearful, the clinician will work with you on how to prepare your child for their first visit. Even the most resistant child tends to get more comfortable after several sessions. Consistent attendance is crucial as your child begins treatment. Our clinicians are highly experienced in child and adolescent therapy. We are happy to accommodate your child’s individual needs to make the therapy process as comfortable as possible.