ONLINE COUNSELING

                                               CHILD THERAPY

                                       Online Play Therapy

How do I know if Online Play Therapy will work for my child?

WHAT TO EXPECT

In many ways, your child’s online play therapy session will be surprisingly similar to what they would experience during a session in the office. You and your therapist will connect ahead of time if there are any materials to be gathered and/or set up. Typical items that might be used:

Small blanket to designate the ‘special playtime area’
Paper
Crayons, colored pencils and/or markers
Scissors
Glue
Small assortment of toys
Playdoh
Printed materials your therapist emailed to you

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING

One significant difference we find with online therapy is that we can easily tailor session length and frequency to your child’s needs, thereby maximizing treatment effectiveness. This means that if your child would benefit from multiple sessions per week that are only 15 minutes in length - we can do that!  Or perhaps your child has a 30 minute play therapy session on Monday afternoon followed by a 30 minute caregiver session on Wednesday evening. And all without the extra hassle of driving into an office.

CAREGIVER PARTICIPATION

Depending on your child’s age, needs and preferences your participation may range from setting up the session and promptly exiting stage left to fully engaging in the entire session. When you are fully engaged in the session, your therapist may transition into a coach. As a coach, the therapist is supporting and guiding you, as the parent or caregiver, while you are doing the direct interacting with your child. This is an especially effective way of conducting online play therapy with even the youngest children.

For most elementary aged children, they may benefit from your physical presence in the room even if your active participation isn’t needed. This can help them stay regulated and discourage them from leaving to see what you might be up to in the other room.

If you have been asked to simply provide tech support and then leave all you need to do is remain available by phone in the event that your presence in the room is needed again.  Your therapist will follow up either at the end of session or will schedule a separate time to check-in with you.

LOCATION

You therapist is licensed to provide therapy in the state of Oregon. As per telehealth regulations, you must be physically located in Oregon at the time of your session.

FIRST STEPS

Once we decide to work together, we’ll schedule a parent(s)/caregiver(s) only Intake. The intake is our opportunity to better get to know one another, discuss relevant history, and begin to explore goals and treatment approaches.

Intakes are completed remote, via telehealth services. Thereafter, sessions are typically held on a weekly basis at a regular time. The overall length of treatment will vary based on a number of factors, such as:

Child’s readiness to engage with the clinician
Length of time concerns have been present
Intensity of concerns/difficulties
Child’s ability to generalize skills to the world outside the playroom
Parent engagement and ongoing support
Support and involvement of other professionals (teachers, psychiatrists, OTs, PTs, SLPs, etc.)

We recommend that you feel comfortable committing to at least 12 sessions, though a course of treatment is often longer for children.

CAREGIVER INVOLVEMENT

If your child disappears behind a door and re-emerges 45 minutes later and you have no idea what happened - how can you help? You really can’t!  Your clinician is with your child once a week. As a caregiver, the rest of the time is yours! Children need your support in order to generalize the new skills they’re learning in therapy.   Caregivers should expect regular communication with their child’s clinician and you should be encouraged to ask questions.

Methods of involvement we use often include:

Brief written summaries of the session
Worksheets
Emails
Participation in part or all of a session

Homework for you and your child
Resources (links to online articles, book suggestions or referrals)

Wondering what else you could do to effect changes at home?

CONTACT VITALITY COUNSELING & WELLNESS CENTER  TODAY TO START YOUR JOURNEY 

CAREGIVER SUPPORT CAN HELP WITH:

Increasing positive engagement
Solving problems before they escalate
Understanding the “why” behind your child’s behaviors
Creating routines
Managing transitions
Enjoying time as a family again

WHAT TO EXPECT

During our initial phone consultation, we’ll have a chance to determine whether or not brief caregiver/parent support is likely to effect the kinds of change you’re seeking. If either you or your child are experiencing challenges directly related to a mental health concern, it’s likely that psychotherapy is the best approach.

Caregiver/Parent Support occurs exclusively online, via our HIPAA-compliant telehealth software. Sessions can occur in the comfort of your own home or even at your office. Anywhere you have a reliable internet connection and a phone, computer or tablet with a camera and the ability to speak privately, you can have a session.

There is no ongoing commitment - we may only have one support session ever, one a month or one a week. How do I decide if my child could benefit from one-on-one support?

CLIENT CONCERNS ADDRESSED

Anxiety / Excessive worrying
Depressed mood
Social skills deficits
Emotional dysregulation
Anger management
Behavioral challenges
Learning differences 
Limited coping skills
Family changes / Transitions (such as separations, moves, changes in schools)
Grief and Loss

WHAT TO EXPECT

THE FINE PRINT

*Caregiver/Parent support is a separate service from psychotherapy. It is not an insurance reimbursable service.

*If your child is coming to Vitality for individual therapy, parent sessions are typically covered under “Family Therapy without Client Present”.