Q: If I bring my child to see a psychologist at Rice Psychology Group for therapy, what will take place?
A: Our psychologists typically meet first with parents to discuss their concerns, to obtain a developmental history and to review relevant documents. A second session involves a playing or talking meeting with your child. Older children are sometimes included in the first session if appropriate. This is done in a friendly, informal way that matches your child’s specific developmental needs and comfort level. Finally, our psychologist will share his/her impressions and a collaborative treatment and/or educational plan is developed. We believe that parents, children and teachers are all integral members of the “treatment team” and with parental permission, values input from a variety of sources.
Q: What approaches to therapy are available?
A: The treatment approach is closely tied to the presenting problems, diagnosis, and developmental level of the child or adult. Rice Psychology Group utilizes psychodynamic, supportive, cognitive-behavioral, play and social skills approaches in therapy, and treats children and adults with a range of difficulties. Anxiety and depression are often treated with cognitive-behavioral approaches that assist individuals with learning to identify and change self-defeating patterns of thinking and behaving. Attention Deficit Disorders are treated with a multimodal approach that includes behavior modification based therapy, education about the disorder as well as other approaches. At times, outside referrals for medication consultation and other evaluation are recommended (such as for occupational therapy, speech and language or neurological exams).