Starting your child in counseling: a parent’s guide

Most parents wait longer than they wish they had — not from neglect, but from uncertainty. Is this a phase? Am I overreacting? A simple rule of thumb: if something has you asking the question for more than a few weeks, it’s worth a conversation with someone. The conversation is free; the worrying isn’t.

What counseling looks like at this age

Therapy with a seven-year-old doesn’t look like two chairs and heavy conversation — it meets kids where they are, often through play, drawing, and stories, shifting toward talk as kids get older. Teens get a space that’s genuinely theirs, which is often exactly what’s been missing.

Parents are part of the plan — really

At Riverside, parents aren’t waiting-room furniture. You’re part of the plan from the first session: your observations inform the work, and your clinician keeps you oriented to how things are going — while protecting enough privacy that your child can be honest in the room. For children 12 and under, a parent or guardian stays on-site during every session.

What to tell your child beforehand

• Keep it simple: “This is a person whose whole job is helping kids with big feelings.”
• Make it normal: it’s like a coach or a tutor, but for the inside stuff.
• Don’t promise secrecy or threaten it — “you can tell them anything” is enough.
• Let them bring a question of their own, even a silly one.

Who works with kids and teens at Riverside

Brittney Wagenveld, Mark Holloway, Sarah Shaffer, Kreg Westergren, Brittney Fetterman, and Patrosky Anderson all see young people. Start with the child & adolescent page or a free consult — your first call is with us, not your child, so you can ask everything freely.