Post by catatonic on Feb 19, 2004 9:12:37 GMT -5
It took us a while to locate a psychologist that my son and I were comfortable with. My boy's pediatrician gave us a couple of recommendations, but those were based on who participated in our insurance plan. One was over-scheduled and the other just didn't seem compatible. It really is critical that your child "click" with their therapist. Since we aren't dealing with medications, a psychologist is perfectly acceptable. Only psychiatrists, who have medical degrees, can prescribe. Psychologists cannot.
I asked a lot of other people with ADHD children for their recommendations. Personal referrals, particularly for something as subjective as psychological counseling, really are a valuable tool. I called the psychologists on my "short list" and found that there are some who specialize in behavior modification, some who use hypnosis or relaxation techniques, some whose approach is cognitive.
At that point we were looking for someone to do comprehensive educational and psychological testing and that was my primary concern. I picked a woman from my short list whose experience with testing children was extensive, who was PhD educated, who came highly recommended by people whose judgement I trusted, and whose treatment methods seemed fairly eclectic but traditional.
We got lucky. The psychologist we ended up going to for the testing connected immediately with my son, I liked her and felt comfortable with her, and since my major goal from counseling was to find someone to help with my boy's self-esteem issues and social difficulties, her approach and personality were ideal. She's not on our insurance plan, so the visits are expensive. While she has made some behavior mod suggestions, her main focus has remained on my son's emotional health and she addresses specific behaviors in that context.
The jury is still out on whether counseling will have long-term benefits or help with problem behaviors like impulsivity. However, short-term, she has helped my son feel more positive about himself and I feel that counts as a success. All I truly want is for my son to be happy. If we achieve that, we can deal with all the other problems.
My two pieces of advice would be first to ask around and see who other people recommend and second to feel free to leave and never come back if it just doesn't feel right to you.
I asked a lot of other people with ADHD children for their recommendations. Personal referrals, particularly for something as subjective as psychological counseling, really are a valuable tool. I called the psychologists on my "short list" and found that there are some who specialize in behavior modification, some who use hypnosis or relaxation techniques, some whose approach is cognitive.
At that point we were looking for someone to do comprehensive educational and psychological testing and that was my primary concern. I picked a woman from my short list whose experience with testing children was extensive, who was PhD educated, who came highly recommended by people whose judgement I trusted, and whose treatment methods seemed fairly eclectic but traditional.
We got lucky. The psychologist we ended up going to for the testing connected immediately with my son, I liked her and felt comfortable with her, and since my major goal from counseling was to find someone to help with my boy's self-esteem issues and social difficulties, her approach and personality were ideal. She's not on our insurance plan, so the visits are expensive. While she has made some behavior mod suggestions, her main focus has remained on my son's emotional health and she addresses specific behaviors in that context.
The jury is still out on whether counseling will have long-term benefits or help with problem behaviors like impulsivity. However, short-term, she has helped my son feel more positive about himself and I feel that counts as a success. All I truly want is for my son to be happy. If we achieve that, we can deal with all the other problems.
My two pieces of advice would be first to ask around and see who other people recommend and second to feel free to leave and never come back if it just doesn't feel right to you.
