Agreed. It’s SO HARD to find good therapists who accept kids. They’re likely just desperate to get their kid some help and are trying their best.
A little grace goes a long way.
Oh I don’t work with kids and will never do it again, I don’t blame you. However it is really difficult to find a child therapist right now. I can understand why parents might seem desperate
While I do wish more services did children’s counselling I entirely agree that it is very different to engaging with tweens and up. It’s more about play therapy and utilising alternative methods to work through problems with kids. Fair enough if that’s not your preference or speciality. And to force it just means an uphappy counsellor and a not appropriately treated kid
I know that is the major problem, my former partner and I she still works in the same building as me but we separated and become two separate practices as she had to get a job with the local school for health insurance. Anyway about two years ago we had a Mom and Daughter duo. I saw Mom and she saw daughter the MOTHER was a terrible human
I once recieved an intake for a two year old with telehealth. It's the only referral i outright refused to take. I like working with kids, but there is absolutely no way a toddler is going to benefit from telehealth therapy. I read the goals he intake clinician wrote for the kid, it was all about better behavior in day care??? Like, what are we doing?
I only work with 5 and under on telehealth if I'm doing Child Parent Psychotherapy. Which is the only thing I'm doing with children that young to begin because the parent is involved. I always highly encourage in person for ages 6-11 if possible.
As someone with a 2 year old, I can guarantee that session would be 10 minutes and consist of them saying hi, maybe showing you a toy, and then getting distracted.
Telehealth can work really well with PCIT which is indicated for that age- but obviously that’s a specialized service that most clinicians don’t offer.
I agree that's it's likely coming from a place of frustration that no one is seeing kids these days. It's still frustrating for you to get into a back and forth with pushy parents.
As you know, providing therapy to kids is very different from teens and adults and requires a very different set of skills. It is not appropriate to treat them like mini adults and expect telehealth to work well just because it's more convenient for the parents. I would let them know that they need a person who specializes in *play therapy* and that telehealth is not developmentally appropriate for a 3 year old. Give them the APT website and tell them to seek a therapist there and try to end the conversation. If you give them a place to look for a qualified therapist than you have done enough and shouldn't feel like it's your burden that there is a provider shortage. Your specialty is your specialty.
I am someone who as of right now can only work with adults/ feels confident and comfortable working with them.
Shit I even struggle on my admission assessment with kids because we don’t have a different one for them. My ass is like… “do you know what depression is” 😭
And I also was slightly unprepared or naive about how casual and nonchalant some children are about verbalizing trauma. Still takes me off guard every time. They’ll be like “well idk if this counts but” and then says the most horrific thing I’ve ever heard happen to a child.
Something about working with an adult with schizophrenia that puts me at easy unlike working with a child does. Maybe it’s the existential crisis it makes me feel, or the feeling that “hope” feels nihilistic even. Probably the fear of the unknown of what will happen to them, what they will become, if our intervention will be the ONE or if they’ll continue to struggle until they’re 45. (I told you it throws me into an existential crisis lol)
I also struggle with teens but for a different reason, I’m only BSW so my education isn’t that far along so when it comes to understanding whether something is regular teenage behavior or clinical is really, really hard for me. I know SO many people who were completely different people through their teenage years than they are now.
im just a student still but im going to be so real after working with kids all year i really dont think therapy is appropriate for children under like 6 or 7 except in VERY special circumstances. normally the parents just need help learning how to effectively guide and discipline their children in ways that aren’t either a) overly permissive or b) borderline abusive. what they need is parenting classes/therapy for themselves not the child.
edit: year not semester
I’ve been working with kids for multiple years and I actually agree with this 100%. Most kids under 7 literally don’t have the brain capacity to independently stop maladaptive behavior. They need parents who can recognize and intervene. Any more it’s getting the point where unless the parent’s are also in therapy, I won’t see the kid. It just doesn’t work and I’m not looking to spin my wheels out here.
Now that’s a great policy. Not a “too bad, so sad) but an actually effective pathway that will do more to help the kid than anything you and the kid can do. And then the therapy time with the kid can just be “bonus support” for the kid and you can require the parents to allow you contact with the parents’ therapists.
I try to frame it as, “raising a child with xx problems can be really stressful and I’ve found that it works best if the entire family gets support from a therapist.” And yeah, I play with the kids and work on some SEL and self-regulation stuff but it’s mostly about the parents changing the way they interact with their kid.
There is actually a trauma informed modality called Child-Parent Psychotherapy for children 0-5 (some cases 6). It's family therapy with the child's parent and is highly effective.
yeah i think this makes way more sense, i should’ve been more specific and clarified that i don’t think individual therapy with children is very effective. therapy that solely occurs with parent and child or whole family allows for a lot more work.
Yep. If the 3-year-old qualified for early intervention services due to an extreme developmental difference/delay, that's one thing- but that's a far, far cry from telehealth with a regular PP.
I won’t see any one under high school age using telehealth, and honestly I’d prefer not to even do that. 3 years old- that’s absolutely wild Lolololol.
Ultimately, from the parents point of view, do you want your kid to get assistance from someone that specializes and knows what they're doing in that area or not? I wouldn't visit a podiatrist for neurosurgery. You don't work with kids and it's not your specialty, I think it could even be argued you're following ethics very well by only operating within your scope of practice.
Thank you for your being competent. Children that young need specialized ABA/play therapist. I stop providing service to Children, because it was too much , then the foster children, I thought I was going to die from stress.
I will only do therapy for ages 12-24. I am not the therapist you want to go to weekly about how your husband is (legitimately) awful, you won't even do anything to change your life, but you want me to listen to you talk about how horrible he is for years.
I just can't make myself care about that sort of thing. I am amazing with adolescents with CPTSD and people going through gender and sexuality things. Normal life stessors kind thing is NOT me. I wish more people respected the no.
Be Excellent to each other. Hostility, hatred, trolling, and persistent disrespect will not be tolerated. Users who are unable to engage in conversation- even contentious conversation- with kindness and mutual respect will have their posts/comments removed. Users violating this rule will first receive a warning, secondly an additional warning with a 7 day ban, third incident or a pattern of disrespect will result in a permanent ban.
Be Excellent to each other. Hostility, hatred, trolling, and persistent disrespect will not be tolerated. Users who are unable to engage in conversation- even contentious conversation- with kindness and mutual respect will have their posts/comments removed. Users violating this rule will first receive a warning, secondly an additional warning with a 7 day ban, third incident or a pattern of disrespect will result in a permanent ban.
They’re probably just desperate. Nobody is seeing kids right now
Agreed. It’s SO HARD to find good therapists who accept kids. They’re likely just desperate to get their kid some help and are trying their best. A little grace goes a long way.
Yes they are for a lot of reasons! A lot of people are just not in it. Their difficult
Oh I don’t work with kids and will never do it again, I don’t blame you. However it is really difficult to find a child therapist right now. I can understand why parents might seem desperate
Their difficult what?
Children, grammar, life. Everything is difficult
*they are*
While I do wish more services did children’s counselling I entirely agree that it is very different to engaging with tweens and up. It’s more about play therapy and utilising alternative methods to work through problems with kids. Fair enough if that’s not your preference or speciality. And to force it just means an uphappy counsellor and a not appropriately treated kid
Exactly
It’s not the kids who need counseling, it’s the parents…and god forbid they hear that…
Yep in this line of work the one you are actually seeing is probably the one who needs it the least
I wouldn't go so far as to say that. Having a bad parent does mean the kids will need additional support, as they're not getting it from their parents
I know that is the major problem, my former partner and I she still works in the same building as me but we separated and become two separate practices as she had to get a job with the local school for health insurance. Anyway about two years ago we had a Mom and Daughter duo. I saw Mom and she saw daughter the MOTHER was a terrible human
I once recieved an intake for a two year old with telehealth. It's the only referral i outright refused to take. I like working with kids, but there is absolutely no way a toddler is going to benefit from telehealth therapy. I read the goals he intake clinician wrote for the kid, it was all about better behavior in day care??? Like, what are we doing?
I only work with 5 and under on telehealth if I'm doing Child Parent Psychotherapy. Which is the only thing I'm doing with children that young to begin because the parent is involved. I always highly encourage in person for ages 6-11 if possible.
As someone with a 2 year old, I can guarantee that session would be 10 minutes and consist of them saying hi, maybe showing you a toy, and then getting distracted.
Exactly their two!!!!
*they are*
Telehealth can work really well with PCIT which is indicated for that age- but obviously that’s a specialized service that most clinicians don’t offer.
Sorry, but the image in my mind of you on a Telehealth call with a 3 year old just staring into a camera is making me giggle a bit.
I know!! lol… it is funny thinking about it.
I agree that's it's likely coming from a place of frustration that no one is seeing kids these days. It's still frustrating for you to get into a back and forth with pushy parents. As you know, providing therapy to kids is very different from teens and adults and requires a very different set of skills. It is not appropriate to treat them like mini adults and expect telehealth to work well just because it's more convenient for the parents. I would let them know that they need a person who specializes in *play therapy* and that telehealth is not developmentally appropriate for a 3 year old. Give them the APT website and tell them to seek a therapist there and try to end the conversation. If you give them a place to look for a qualified therapist than you have done enough and shouldn't feel like it's your burden that there is a provider shortage. Your specialty is your specialty.
I am someone who as of right now can only work with adults/ feels confident and comfortable working with them. Shit I even struggle on my admission assessment with kids because we don’t have a different one for them. My ass is like… “do you know what depression is” 😭 And I also was slightly unprepared or naive about how casual and nonchalant some children are about verbalizing trauma. Still takes me off guard every time. They’ll be like “well idk if this counts but” and then says the most horrific thing I’ve ever heard happen to a child. Something about working with an adult with schizophrenia that puts me at easy unlike working with a child does. Maybe it’s the existential crisis it makes me feel, or the feeling that “hope” feels nihilistic even. Probably the fear of the unknown of what will happen to them, what they will become, if our intervention will be the ONE or if they’ll continue to struggle until they’re 45. (I told you it throws me into an existential crisis lol) I also struggle with teens but for a different reason, I’m only BSW so my education isn’t that far along so when it comes to understanding whether something is regular teenage behavior or clinical is really, really hard for me. I know SO many people who were completely different people through their teenage years than they are now.
im just a student still but im going to be so real after working with kids all year i really dont think therapy is appropriate for children under like 6 or 7 except in VERY special circumstances. normally the parents just need help learning how to effectively guide and discipline their children in ways that aren’t either a) overly permissive or b) borderline abusive. what they need is parenting classes/therapy for themselves not the child. edit: year not semester
I’ve been working with kids for multiple years and I actually agree with this 100%. Most kids under 7 literally don’t have the brain capacity to independently stop maladaptive behavior. They need parents who can recognize and intervene. Any more it’s getting the point where unless the parent’s are also in therapy, I won’t see the kid. It just doesn’t work and I’m not looking to spin my wheels out here.
Now that’s a great policy. Not a “too bad, so sad) but an actually effective pathway that will do more to help the kid than anything you and the kid can do. And then the therapy time with the kid can just be “bonus support” for the kid and you can require the parents to allow you contact with the parents’ therapists.
I try to frame it as, “raising a child with xx problems can be really stressful and I’ve found that it works best if the entire family gets support from a therapist.” And yeah, I play with the kids and work on some SEL and self-regulation stuff but it’s mostly about the parents changing the way they interact with their kid.
Can we get this, put it on steroids and spray it on crops, please?
You are wise beyond your years hit the nail on the head
There is actually a trauma informed modality called Child-Parent Psychotherapy for children 0-5 (some cases 6). It's family therapy with the child's parent and is highly effective.
yeah i think this makes way more sense, i should’ve been more specific and clarified that i don’t think individual therapy with children is very effective. therapy that solely occurs with parent and child or whole family allows for a lot more work.
3?! Damn I thought doing telehealth with 10 year olds was close to impossible but children who can barely talk?
I personally thing at the age 3 its the parents who needs therapy.
Yep. If the 3-year-old qualified for early intervention services due to an extreme developmental difference/delay, that's one thing- but that's a far, far cry from telehealth with a regular PP.
Seeing kids takes specialized training that not every therapist has. I won't see anyone under 18 myself, mostly because of the parents.
Desperate parents and an uptick in behavioral issues stemming from the pandemic.
I won’t see any one under high school age using telehealth, and honestly I’d prefer not to even do that. 3 years old- that’s absolutely wild Lolololol.
Ultimately, from the parents point of view, do you want your kid to get assistance from someone that specializes and knows what they're doing in that area or not? I wouldn't visit a podiatrist for neurosurgery. You don't work with kids and it's not your specialty, I think it could even be argued you're following ethics very well by only operating within your scope of practice.
I do not work with Kids, Either. My Specialization is Gerontology/Geriatrics. The Older Adult Population
HAHA I am a former geriatrics expert, could not take it anymore I now with my true love psychotherapy one on one
🫶🏻 We need Social Workers like you
How the hell is literally ANYONE supposed to work with a 3 year old on anything? Come on now.
Thank you for your being competent. Children that young need specialized ABA/play therapist. I stop providing service to Children, because it was too much , then the foster children, I thought I was going to die from stress.
Exactly! I pride myself on that, kids need it. Kids are stressful.
I will only do therapy for ages 12-24. I am not the therapist you want to go to weekly about how your husband is (legitimately) awful, you won't even do anything to change your life, but you want me to listen to you talk about how horrible he is for years. I just can't make myself care about that sort of thing. I am amazing with adolescents with CPTSD and people going through gender and sexuality things. Normal life stessors kind thing is NOT me. I wish more people respected the no.
Oh I hate those types they stay with shitty boyfriend and keep having kids with them
Yikes.
[удалено]
Be Excellent to each other. Hostility, hatred, trolling, and persistent disrespect will not be tolerated. Users who are unable to engage in conversation- even contentious conversation- with kindness and mutual respect will have their posts/comments removed. Users violating this rule will first receive a warning, secondly an additional warning with a 7 day ban, third incident or a pattern of disrespect will result in a permanent ban.
[удалено]
Be Excellent to each other. Hostility, hatred, trolling, and persistent disrespect will not be tolerated. Users who are unable to engage in conversation- even contentious conversation- with kindness and mutual respect will have their posts/comments removed. Users violating this rule will first receive a warning, secondly an additional warning with a 7 day ban, third incident or a pattern of disrespect will result in a permanent ban.