40+ Questions to Ask a Child Psychologist in Your First Appointment
Your first appointment with a child mental health expert is a chance for you to get to know them. Here are questions to ask a child psychologist in your initial appointment.
In your first appointment with a child psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist or other mental health professional, they’ll ask a lot of questions to get to know you, your child, and your family context. At the same time, this first appointment is an opportunity for you to get to know them, too. But what questions should you ask a child psychologist or therapist in your first appointment?
We’ve got you covered. Our team of child mental health experts have worked with hundreds, if not thousands, of families in our combined decades of mental health experience. In this article, we’ll share a few of the best questions to ask a child psychologist, therapist, or other mental health care provider at this stage of care.
Even if you’ve had prior experience with mental health care in other settings, this will be a new dynamic and a different type of experience. So it’s important to use this time to ask any questions that might help you better understand and set expectations for the therapeutic process in the weeks and months ahead.
Now let’s explore a few questions to ask a child psychologist in your first appointment.
Questions to ask your child’s psychologist about timelines
It’s likely that whatever circumstances led you to seek outside support for your child didn’t culminate overnight. So it’s important to keep in mind that the healing process will take some time.
As one of Little Otter’s advisors, Dr. Petra Steinbuchel, Director of Psychiatry at Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland said, “you don’t harvest the fruit on the day you plant the seeds.”
While there won’t be immediate results, you will see positive change over time.
That said, you may want to ask your provider about their treatment planning process and proposed timelines. You can ask about how frequently you should meet, how they approach goal setting, or when you might expect to see some emotional or behavioral changes in your child.
With that in mind, here are a few questions about timelines to ask your child’s mental health care provider:
I know change will take some time, but when might I be able to expect to notice some positive changes in my child?
How often should we plan to meet?
What’s your process for planning treatment?
How frequently should we meet?
Should we expect a formal diagnosis? If so, when should we expect that?
Questions to ask a child psychologist about treatment goals
Just as you want to ask your provider about the treatment planning process and proposed timelines, you’ll also want to ask about treatment goals. Some of these questions might include:
How will we establish our short and long-term goals?
How will our goals impact our treatment planning?
Are these goals realistic?
“I generally appreciate when parents ask about timelines and treatment goals,” said Dr. David Hong, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University Medical Center.
“It helps greatly with aligning expectations and getting on the same page of what the treatment plan targets actually are,” he said. “It also sets the stage to discuss how there are rarely 'silver bullets' in treatment - just as many factors led to a particular presentation, sometimes a number of factors are needed to unwind particular situations as well.”
Then, as your provider gets to know your child and your family better, you can ask them to share their thoughts on where the presenting issues may stem from and how best to support your child at each stage of care.
Read Also: Questions a Child Psychologist Would Ask In Your First Appointment
Questions to ask a child psychologist about their background and expertise
Your provider will welcome any questions you may want to ask about their experience and background. While most child psychiatrists and other mental health professionals can effectively treat a wide range of childhood mental health concerns, some specialize in certain areas.
Here are a few questions you might ask your child’s therapist or psychologist about their background and expertise in child mental health:
Can you tell me about your experience and background?
Do you have experience in treating the concerns my child is struggling with?
Do you have experience working with children my child’s age?
How do you typically address this type of challenge?
Have you worked with families with my racial, religious, or cultural background?
Do you have training in providing culturally competent and/or trauma-informed care?
For example, if you’re seeking support for your child’s struggles with an anxiety disorder, you can ask your provider if treating anxiety is a key area of practice. Then, if you’re curious, you can ask questions about the interventions and strategies they may use to treat your child, their thoughts on where the presenting issues may stem from, or how they may involve your family in the treatment process.
Questions to ask a child psychologist about how to prepare your child for therapy
Some child psychologists prefer to meet first with the parents or caregivers, and later with the child. If that’s the case, you may have questions about how to prepare your child for their first appointment. For example, you might ask:
How should I explain therapy to my child?
If my child is nervous before our first appointment, what should I say?
Is there anything I should tell my child to expect in the first appointment?
Questions to ask a child mental health expert about treatment and approaches
In this first appointment, it’s absolutely natural - and valuable - to try to learn what to expect in the upcoming weeks and months. Now is the time to ask deeper questions about treatment pathways and therapeutic approaches.
Here are a few questions to consider:
While they may change over time, what types of interventions do you think will be most effective for my child at this stage of care?
How involved will I be, or will our family be, in the treatment process?
Given the approach we’re exploring, what will the typical appointment look like?
Who should be involved in our next appointment?
How often will we (parents/caregivers) meet with you individually in the future?
Will you be meeting with my child one-on-one in the future? If so, what type of debriefing should I anticipate after those individual sessions?
Your goal is to understand how the likely path forward will probably look and feel. Keep in mind that as you make progress and your child’s needs evolve, this may change.
Questions to ask a child psychologist about progress tracking
It can be incredibly helpful to track progress and improvements over time. Not only will this allow you to celebrate wins, it will also allow you and your family to stay motivated and positive if challenges arise.
Many child mental health experts have unique ways to measure and track improvements. Here are a few questions to ask:
What does progress tend to look like, given my child’s situation and our stage of care?
Should we expect to see plateaus or even regression during our treatment?
How will you keep us in the loop about how therapy is going?
Do you provide any progress reporting? Will we have parent/caregiver-only check-in sessions?
Little Otter takes a unique approach to measurement-based progress tracking: we offer an in-app report that allows you to track progress over time!
Questions to ask a child psychologist about your concerns and expectations
It’s also helpful to ask about the experiences and emotions your family may have during this process. If you’re worried about specific situations that may arise, it’s valuable to give voice to those, too.
“I appreciate when parents ask about their child’s experience in the situations relating to the symptoms, disorders, or patterns of concern,” said Dr. Mary Margaret Gleason, Vice Chief of Mental Health at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughter, and Little Otter Provider Advisor.
“I also always try to address misconceptions about [the potential causes], but it’s helpful when parents ask those questions that they are wondering about…[in order] to avoid blaming themselves or their kids.”
Your worries will be rooted in your child and family situation, but may include things like:
What happens if my partner and I disagree about the best path forward?
I’m worried our extended family might not be supportive. How can we approach that?
Should we really be putting a label on our kid?
What should we tell our child’s school, if anything?
Questions to ask a child psychologist about communication
Before leaving your first appointment with your child’s psychiatrist, you should know how to communicate going forward. A few questions you might ask are:
What’s the best way to contact you?
Do you offer texting or email communication?
What’s the best way to schedule appointments?
Some mental health professionals offer an online portal through which you can book appointments and send messages. Others may prefer conversations via phone call. That first meeting is a great time to explore logistics.
Questions to ask a child psychologist about payment and cancellations
Chances are, you’ll already have some information about pricing and insurance before that first appointment. However, it’s also helpful to make sure you understand things like:
What’s your preferred method of payment?
When can we expect payment to be processed?
What happens if we need to cancel or reschedule an appointment?
How long in advance do we need to contact you if we need to adjust the appointment?
Questions to ask a child psychologist about next steps
As you conclude your first appointment with a child mental health expert, make sure to confirm that you’re on the same page about the path forward. Here are a few questions to ask:
Can you confirm the date and time of our next appointment?
Are there any recommended resources we should review before our next session?
What can we do between sessions to support progress?
41 questions to ask your child psychologist in your first appointment
We’ve covered a lot of ground. To make it easier, here is a summary of some of the questions you can ask a child mental health professional in your first appointment:
I know change will take some time, but when might I be able to expect to notice some positive changes in my child?
How often should we plan to meet?
What’s your process for planning treatment?
How frequently should we meet?
Should we expect a formal diagnosis? If so, when should we expect that?
How will we establish our short and long-term goals?
How will our goals impact our treatment planning?
Are these goals realistic?
Can you tell me about your experience and background?
Do you have experience in treating the concerns my child is struggling with?
Do you have experience working with children my child’s age?
How do you typically address this type of challenge?
Have you worked with families with my racial, religious, or cultural background?
Do you have training in providing culturally competent and/or trauma-informed care?
How should I explain therapy to my child?
If my child is nervous before our first appointment, what should I say?
Is there anything I should tell my child to expect in the first appointment?
While they may change over time, what types of interventions do you think will be most effective for my child at this stage of care?
How involved will I be, or will our family be, in the treatment process?
Given the approach we’re exploring, what will the typical appointment look like?
Who should be involved in our next appointment?
How often will we (parents/caregivers) meet with you individually in the future?
Will you be meeting with my child one-on-one in the future? If so, what type of debriefing should I anticipate after those individual sessions?
What does progress tend to look like, given my child’s situation and our stage of care?
Should we expect to see plateaus or even regression during our treatment?
How will you keep us in the loop about how therapy is going?
Do you provide any progress reporting? Will we have parent/caregiver-only check-in sessions?
What happens if my partner and I disagree about the best path forward?
I’m worried our extended family might not be supportive. How can we approach that?
Should we really be putting a label on our kid?
What should we tell our child’s school, if anything?
What’s the best way to contact you?
Do you offer texting or email communication?
What’s the best way to schedule appointments?
What’s your preferred method of payment?
When can we expect payment to be processed?
What happens if we need to cancel or reschedule an appointment?
How long in advance do we need to contact you if we need to adjust the appointment?
Can you confirm the date and time of our next appointment?
Are there any recommended resources we should review before our next session?
What can we do between sessions to support progress?
At Little Otter, we understand how challenging it can be to begin down a new path of care with a provider for your child. So our goal is to empower you with the knowledge you need to feel prepared to engage with your child’s psychologist or psychiatrist during the first appointment and beyond.
If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
And if you’re interested in exploring our unique approach to providing access to mental health services for children and families, you’re warmly invited to learn more.