Parents who take their children to see a psychologist may have difficulty deciding how to explain this situation to the child. An appropriate explanation before bringing the child to a psychologist meeting is very important as it will help reduce the child's anxiety in this new environment.
The explanation to be given to the child should be appropriate to the age level of the child. It is wrong to make statements to the child such as "We are going to the doctor for a health check" or "We are going to a friend's house". The child should not be told lies about the place to go. The real reason for their visit should be explained in a non-accusatory language and it should be explained that they are seeing a specialist who works with other children who have similar problems.
To a preschool child: “We are going to go somewhere to talk and play with you. It will be sufficient to make a statement such as "You can talk and play with the older sister here as you wish".
To a school-age child: "We will go to a psychologist/therapist with you. Every child may experience some problems from time to time, and psychologists help children who have problems similar to yours. The psychologist tells us that you can't sleep alone/your fears/you get along better with your friends, etc. “It will help with this.” A statement such as this can be made.
If the child is in adolescence, it is also important that the child wants to come to the interview. The child should not have difficulty in meeting; the child should be told that he/she can talk to the psychologist alone and why support is needed, without criticizing him/her. “I want to get help from a psychologist to get support about our problems. The therapist will also talk to you alone to understand you better and make you feel more comfortable. If you want, we can make an appointment and meet. A statement such as ” can be made.
It is important that both mother and father come to the center with the child for the first interview in order to obtain more information about family dynamics. However, it is not preferred to take younger siblings into the room so that the child does not feel bad. In addition, for cases where the psychologist wants to meet with the mother and father alone, and for children who do not want to be alone with the staff, bring an acquaintance who can wait in the waiting room with the child. It is recommended.
It is very important to arrive at the meetings on time. It would be beneficial to come to the center approximately 15 minutes in advance to make children feel more comfortable and to fill out the necessary forms. In case of being late for the meeting, the meeting with your psychologist can be held for the remaining time or the meeting can be postponed to another date. If there is a situation where you cannot come to the session, you can call our center one day in advance and inform us.
If the psychologist decides to apply a test to your child, the child must have slept enough and not be hungry and tired in order to show his/her own performance. In addition, it is more appropriate to tell the child, "A study will be done with you," rather than making an alarming statement such as "You will be tested."
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