When a referral is made, either through a private client or a professional agency, one of the first things our team at JSA will request information about is the age of the client. In the case of working with children (a referred person under the age of 18), the type of therapy and the therapist allocated to the case will be instrumental.
When a referral for a child is made through a professional agency or body, we are able to be given an amount of detail and background regarding the child’s history, and therefore we can plan appropriately for therapy based on our own professional judgement in line with the information passed on to us from those professionals who know the child best.
In the case of a private/ self-referral, we of course have to start our assessment with absolutely no background on the child whatsoever, and therefore, it’s important for the parent or carer to be as open and detailed with us as possible. We are sensitive to the fact that this can feel awkward or difficult, but getting the right information is essential in ensuring that the most appropriate programme of therapy is put in place for the young person. We are non-judgemental in our ethos and will always praise the parent or carer for wanting what is best for their child.
In terms of how our sessions run, we sometimes find that a parent or carer wishes to be present in the session with their child. However, this is not best practice, as it is important for the therapist to be able to build an open relationship with the child, where the child can communicate freely and without any direct or assumed sense of pressure or obligation. It is acceptable for the parent or carer to be present for say the first part of the first session, so that the child can assimilate and feel more secure, but then we ask for the adult to take a step back to allow the child to immerse themselves in the programme. When a parent or carer
reaches out to us to request a programme of therapy for their child, we know that they want the best for their child, and so we have very little issue in the way of non-cooperation.
Parents and carers will, of course, want to be kept ‘in the loop’ regarding their child’s issues and progress, and so the team at JSA will work closely with them to provide verbal overviews as appropriate. We will also provide a written update report every 6-8 sessions. In the case of a private/ self-referral client, this will go exclusively to the parent or carer, but in the case of a professionally referred case, the report will go to any of the professional bodies involved in the care of the child.
As standard, JSA provide a written End of Therapy Report upon closure of the programme, and this is included in the cost of the course. It is a very simple yet informative report. More detailed reports are available upon request, though these incur an extra charge.
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