Expert Advice for Parents on Children and Psychotherapy

In You and Your Child’s Psychotherapy: The Essential Guide for Parents and Caregivers, mental health professionals (and CUNY professors) Michael O. Weiner, LCSW, and Les Paul Gallo-Silver, LCSW-R, BC-HSP, set out to demystify the therapy process for you and your child. 

What are the main reasons a child or adolescent is recommended for psychotherapy?

MW: Parents call me when they’ve noticed something does not feel right. It can be because of one particular interaction—behavioral or mood—that a parent or caregiver felt was atypical as compared to friends or family. Children come to therapy when something is out of balance.

LPGS: It could also be due to significant family changes such as divorce, death, separation, or the serious illness of a parent. We’ve also seen a lot of kids who needed help after trauma at school, such as the death of a classmate. And of course it also comes into play after a major event—for example, after 9/11.

Why is psychotherapy suddenly so popular?

MW: There’s certainly more awareness of trauma, and this has led to more parents requesting therapy for their child. However, many parents come to therapists hoping for a “quick fix.” There’s absolutely no long-term efficacy in this approach—the lessons learned at an early age don’t hold, because the child’s issues aren’t being addressed at a deep enough level. 

LPGS: Many parents just want to put their kids on meds. Instead of getting to the root of the issue, this solution actually avoids addressing the behavior. 

MW: Kids are complex and the ways to address their problems are equally complex. After and during therapy, a strong, confident parent emerges, but this is missing from short-term interventions.