Why We Require a Parent Appointment Before Meeting With Your Child
At Logos Counseling Initiative, we believe meaningful healing begins with clarity, partnership, and purpose. When a child or adolescent begins counseling, we require an initial parent appointment before meeting individually with your child.
We understand this may feel like an extra step — especially if your child is ready to start right away. But this conversation is one of the most important parts of the entire counseling process.
Here’s why.
1. You Are the Primary Influence in Your Child’s Life
No matter your child’s age, parents and caregivers are the most significant voices shaping their world.
Children do not exist in isolation. Their struggles, strengths, stressors, and growth all happen within the context of family, school, friendships, and faith. Meeting with you first allows us to:
Understand the broader picture
Learn about family dynamics
Identify patterns that may be contributing to the concern
Clarify your hopes for counseling
When we work with a child, we are also partnering with you.
2. Children Experience Symptoms — Families Hold Context
Often, a child’s behavior is the visible symptom of something deeper. Anxiety, mood changes, irritability, defiance, withdrawal, or academic struggles rarely emerge without context.
In the parent appointment, we explore:
When concerns first began
Major life transitions (moves, losses, school changes, medical concerns)
Developmental history
Family stressors
Spiritual or values-based considerations (if relevant to your family)
This helps us move beyond symptom management and toward meaningful, root-level understanding — a value central to our work at Logos Counseling Initiative, where healing is connected to understanding purpose and meaning.
3. It Protects Your Child’s Trust
Children and teens need to know that therapy is a safe, consistent space. If we meet with them before understanding expectations and boundaries with parents, it can create confusion around confidentiality and communication.
The initial parent session allows us to clearly explain:
What confidentiality looks like for minors
What information will and will not be shared
How safety concerns are handled
How parents will be involved throughout treatment
This clarity protects both your child’s trust and your role as a parent.
4. It Reduces Anxiety for Your Child
When children walk into a first session without clarity, they often wonder:
“Am I in trouble?”
“What is this about?”
“Are they going to tell my parents everything?”
“What’s wrong with me?”
When we meet with you first, you’re better equipped to frame counseling in a way that feels supportive rather than corrective. We can guide you in how to talk with your child about starting therapy so it feels like a step toward strength — not a punishment.
What to Expect in the Initial Parent Appointment
This appointment is 50 minutes long and is parent(s)-only.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
1. Your Primary Concerns
We’ll begin with what prompted you to reach out.
What are you noticing? What feels urgent? What feels confusing?
You won’t need to have everything figured out — just come ready to share your observations.
2. Background & Developmental History
We’ll gather relevant information about:
Pregnancy and early development
Medical history
Academic functioning
Social relationships
Behavioral patterns
Family structure and dynamics
This is not an interrogation — it’s simply building a comprehensive understanding.
3. Strengths and Identity
We care deeply about who your child is — not just what they’re struggling with.
We’ll ask about:
Their personality
Their gifts and strengths
Their interests
Their faith or spiritual formation (if applicable)
What brings them joy
Counseling is not about “fixing” your child. It’s about helping them live more fully into who they were created to be.
4. Goals for Counseling
We’ll discuss what success would look like to you.
What would be different in three months?
What changes are you hoping to see?
What would give you peace as a parent?
This helps ensure we’re aligned from the beginning.
5. Parent Involvement Plan
We will outline:
How often you can expect parent check-ins
How we handle communication between sessions
Ways you can reinforce growth at home
In child and adolescent counseling, parental involvement is not optional — it is essential. The degree of involvement may vary based on age and presenting concern, but partnership is always part of the process.
A Final Word
Requiring a parent appointment first is not about creating barriers. It’s about building a strong foundation. When we take time to understand the whole story, we create space for deeper healing. If you’re considering counseling for your child and have questions about the process, we would be honored to talk with you.
If you’re interested in seeing one of our providers, reach out to us to schedule a consultation. Support is available whenever you need it. Contact us or book online when it feels right for you.