Finding the right therapist to work with can seem challenging. The most important quality to look for in a therapist is a sense of connection between the therapist and the client. There should be a mutual level of respect and belief between the therapist and client to ensure that growth and learning can happen.
Therapists working with adolescents play a crucial role in not parenting the client. Instead, therapists guide the client without judgment, consequences, or hurt feelings. The therapist and client work together to explore the client’s feelings and help them grow. The difference between parents and therapists is that parents think they know the answer for their child’s problems, while therapists guide clients toward finding the answer.
A therapeutic relationship includes all the relationships within the family system, such as parents, child, and siblings. Therapists may bring the family to find ways to improve communication within these relationships. There is always room to improve relationships. When there is a disagreement within a relationship, such as between a parent and child, both people can have a therapy session to talk about goals and disagreements.
Parents looking for a therapist should find someone who is honest, willing to make their lives better, and supportive of their family’s growth. The therapist should be willing to go beyond the client’s comfort level in order to test their beliefs and push them towards growth. It may feel daunting to share vulnerabilities with a therapist, but the therapist can have separate sessions with the parent to talk about goals, creating a safe environment, and working as a team to guide the child.
To gauge whether or not the therapist’s ideas will work for them, parents can ask about the therapist’s philosophy on helping their child find their way and how the therapist feels about bringing their child into therapy sessions. If the therapist is willing to work with the parents and child, then most likely, it is a safe environment.
Families Finding the Right Therapist
Therapists should meet with the child to see if there is a connection. That connection is created when there is mutual respect and clients feel that they are being heard, in a safe place, by a therapist who is there to support, heal, and help them grow. If parents see neither a connection nor progress, then they should consider finding another therapist. Contact us today!
