December 23, 2008

Health Tip: Preparing Your Child For Therapy

(HealthDay News) -- If your child needs to visit a therapist to work on emotional or behavioral issues, the youngster may be a bit nervous about going.

Here are suggestions for how to prepare your child for that visit, courtesy of the Nemours Foundation:

• Be clear, honest and open about why your child needs to go.
• For young children, make sure they understand that this is a person that you talk with, not a doctor who gives you shots or examines you.
• Explain that a therapist helps children feel better.
• For older children, make sure they understand that anything they say to the therapist is confidential, and that the therapist won't be repeating anything to the parents. The exception may be if the child expresses a desire to hurt himself or others.
• Help your child understand that the therapist's work will benefit the whole family -- that the child isn't being singled out.

-- Diana Kohnle

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