How might I start a counseling session with a child? | Ask the Counselor series from CCEF

Summary

This transcript details a professional's approach to the initial session with a child, emphasizing the importance of understanding the child's age, development, and comfort levels. The professional prepares by speaking with parents and planning activities like card games and coloring to foster dialogue and gather insights into the child's world view. The goal is to engage the child in a non-threatening manner, using expressive activities that serve both as fun and as a means to collect data about their perceptions and emotions.

Takeaways

• 🧩 The initial session with a child involves assessing their age, development, and attention span to determine the session's length and approach.
• 🗣️ Communication with parents beforehand is crucial to understand the child's situation, strengths, weaknesses, and comfort levels.
• 🎲 The therapist prepares multiple activities, such as 'get to know you' games and card games, to facilitate dialogue and make the child feel at ease.
• 🤔 The goal is to understand the child's perspective on their world, family, and situation through non-threatening and comfortable interactions.
• 🎨 Expressive activities like coloring are used to gather information about the child's feelings and perceptions in a fun and engaging way.
• 🔍 The therapist has specific questions in mind but introduces them casually to avoid making the child feel threatened.
• 📝 Data collection is an important aspect, with activities designed to reveal how the child sees their world.
• 🌈 The therapist may ask the child to associate emotions with colors to understand their emotional landscape.
• 💡 Flexibility is key; the therapist is prepared to adapt the session based on the child's reactions and preferences.
• 🚫 Resistance or shyness from the child may lead the therapist to switch to a different activity, like a game, to build rapport.
• 🔑 Having a clear intention of what to understand about the child while being adaptable to their needs is central to the session's success.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the first session with a child?

The primary focus is to understand the child's age, development, and ability to engage in conversation for a certain period, which can vary from half an hour to an hour.

Why is it important to communicate with the parents before meeting the child?

It is important to communicate with the parents to gain a good understanding of the child's situation, strengths, weaknesses, and comfort levels before the session.

What are some activities that can be used to initiate a dialogue with a child?

Activities such as 'get to know you' games, card games with questions, and coloring can be used to initiate a non-threatening and comfortable dialogue with a child.

How can playing games help in understanding a child's perspective?

Playing games allows the child to open up and share their thoughts and feelings in a relaxed environment, providing insights into how they see their world and their situation.

What is the purpose of having multiple activities planned for the session?

Having multiple activities allows for flexibility based on the child's preferences and comfort levels, ensuring that the session can be engaging and informative regardless of the child's response to different activities.

Why is it essential to be prepared with different questions or activities for the session?

Being prepared with different questions or activities ensures that the session can be adapted to the child's interests and reactions, making it more effective in gathering information and understanding the child.

How can expressive activities like coloring provide information about a child?

Expressive activities can reveal a child's emotions, thoughts, and perceptions in a fun and enjoyable way, allowing the facilitator to collect data and understand the child's world better.

What is the significance of asking children about the emotions they feel and associating them with colors?

Associating emotions with colors can help children express their feelings more concretely and can provide insights into their emotional landscape, which is valuable for understanding their perspective.

How does the facilitator ensure that the session remains engaging for the child?

The facilitator ensures engagement by being adaptable, observing the child's reactions, and switching to different activities or questions that the child finds more appealing or comfortable.

What is the ultimate goal of these initial sessions with a child?

The ultimate goal is to understand how the child sees their world, their family, and their situation, which can be achieved through various activities and dialogues designed to be both fun and informative.

Outlines

00:00

🧩 Initial Assessment and Preparation

The speaker discusses the initial steps taken during the first session with a child, which includes assessing the child's age, development, and attention span. They mention the importance of prior communication with parents to understand the child's strengths, weaknesses, and comfort levels. The speaker also highlights the need to plan activities that can engage the child based on their personality and preferences, such as get-to-know-you games, coloring, and structured activities that help in understanding the child's perspective on their world and emotions.

Keywords

💡Development

Development in the context of the video refers to the growth and progress of a child's cognitive, emotional, and physical abilities. It is a central theme as the speaker assesses a child's capacity to engage in activities based on their developmental stage. For example, the speaker considers whether a child can sit and talk for a long period, indicating their attention span and social skills development.

💡Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths and weaknesses are individual traits or abilities that a child may possess. In the video, the speaker seeks to understand these to tailor the interaction appropriately. It is crucial for building rapport and addressing the child's needs effectively, as seen when the speaker inquires about these aspects from the parents to prepare for the session.

💡Comfort Level

Comfort level denotes how at ease a child feels in a given situation. The speaker mentions considering the child's comfort with sitting and talking, which is essential for establishing a safe and conducive environment for interaction. It is a key concept as it influences the child's willingness to participate and share information.

💡Engagement

Engagement refers to the level of interest and participation a child displays during an activity. The speaker plans activities that are engaging to the child to ensure they are actively involved and responsive. For instance, the speaker mentions having several 'get to know you' games to facilitate engagement.

💡Dialogue

Dialogue is the exchange of conversation between two or more parties. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of opening up dialogue with the child through non-threatening means such as games, which helps in understanding the child's perspective and building trust.

💡Expressive Activities

Expressive activities are tasks or games that allow children to express themselves creatively and emotionally. The speaker uses these activities, such as coloring or card games, to collect data about the child's feelings and perceptions, making them seem fun for the child while serving a purpose for the speaker.

💡Emotion

Emotion is a complex psychological state that involves a subjective experience, physiological changes, and expressive behaviors. The speaker asks the child to associate emotions with colors, which is a way to understand the child's emotional landscape and how they perceive and express their feelings.

💡Structured Activity

A structured activity is a planned and organized task with a specific purpose or goal. The speaker mentions using structured activities to guide the conversation and gather information, such as asking the child to describe their regular emotions, which helps in assessing the child's emotional awareness.

💡Resistance

Resistance is the opposition or reluctance to engage in a particular activity or situation. The speaker acknowledges that some children may resist certain activities like coloring, and thus, it's important to have alternative plans to adapt to the child's preferences and reactions.

💡Shyness

Shyness is a personality trait characterized by discomfort or inhibition in social situations. The speaker considers a child's level of shyness when planning activities, as it affects how the child interacts and communicates, and may require the speaker to adjust their approach accordingly.

💡Adaptability

Adaptability is the ability to adjust and respond effectively to new or changing circumstances. The speaker demonstrates adaptability by having multiple activities prepared and being ready to switch based on the child's reactions and preferences, ensuring a successful interaction.

Highlights

Initial session assessment based on child's age and development.

Determining the child's capacity for interaction, such as sitting and talking for extended periods or only for half an hour.

Pre-session communication with parents to understand the child's situation and characteristics.

Inquiry about the child's strengths, weaknesses, comfort levels, and ability to sit and converse.

Planning of two or three activities in advance to engage with the child.

Utilization of 'get to know you' games and card games to facilitate dialogue and understanding.

Non-threatening approach to open up communication with the child through casual activities.

Adaptation of activities based on the child's preferences and comfort levels.

Use of expressive activities as a means to collect data and understand the child's perspective.

Engagement in coloring or other activities that seem fun to the child but serve a purpose for data collection.

Structured activities to explore the child's emotions and their association with colors.

Flexibility in approach to accommodate shy or resistant children through alternative activities.

The importance of having multiple prepared activities to cater to different child responses.

Understanding the child's world through their engagement in various activities.

Adjusting the session dynamically based on the child's reactions and comfort.

The goal of gaining insight into the child's view of their family and situation.

Using play and interaction as tools for assessment and understanding without the child's awareness of being assessed.

Transcripts

[Music]

so in a first session with a child um

I'd be looking at their age and their

development and can they sit and talk to

me for a long period of time are they

only going to make it a half an hour um

but again ahead of time I've spoken with

the parents I have a good understanding

of the situation and who the child is

I'll ask questions like what are their

strengths and weaknesses

um what are they comfortable with how

long can they sit down and talk so I

have kind of a general sense of can I

sit down for an hour with them will they

only make it 20 minutes um do they need

to be really active and engaged do they

love talking are they really shy and

bashful that said I I usually try to

have two or three things planned ahead

of time that I could sit down and do

with them so I'm initially meeting with

a child there's lots I don't know about

them I want to understand how they see

the world how they see their family and

their

situation so um a couple of things I

might do is I have several get to know

you games there's the uname for kids

there's little card games where you can

sit and ask each other questions and

then I have to answer the question for

the child and they answer it and it just

opens up dialogue it's non-threatening

it's more comfortable so even just

sitting down and playing a game with a

child I could have in my mind three or

four questions three or four things I

want to know about the child that I'm

just casually going to bring up but I'm

doing in a way that's less threatened

ing some kids could just be sitting down

and coloring with them um I have a lot

of expressive activities I'll do with a

child that on their end will seem fun

and enjoyable and on my end I know have

a purpose they they're forming

information for me I'm collecting a data

and getting to know how the child sees

their world better so I might sit down

and and have them color in a picture and

ask these questions or we might play a

casual get to know you game or I might

have an activity that's more structured

where I'm asking them to tell me the

emotions they feel on a regular basis

and what color would you color them um

so I would I would say in general always

have two or three different things

prepared because you might sit down with

a child and they really hate to color um

and you find out they really enjoy just

sitting and talking to you so you kind

of throw that aside and say okay let's

talk or they're really resistant or

they're really really shy or intimidated

by you and I'll say you know what let's

play a game and pull out a game and play

that game but in the back of my mind I

have a desire of what I want to

understand and know about them

[Music]