Reluctance about therapy is understandable, particularly when a young person feels that adults are more concerned about their behaviour than they are.
Some children worry that therapy means they’ve done something wrong. Teenagers may be concerned about being judged, losing privacy, or being expected to change when they don’t believe there’s a problem.
We consider a young person’s willingness and ability to participate when recommending individual therapy.
For some families, parent consultation may be a more useful starting point. It can help caregivers better understand the difficulties and consider how to respond, even when their child isn’t ready to attend.