3 Tips for Introducing Kids to Therapy Using the A.C.E. Approach

Starting therapy can be a challenging and confusing experience, especially for children. They often don’t know what to expect, who a therapist is, or how therapy can help. Whether they’re going to therapy to navigate grief, sadness, anxiety, trauma, or other tricky situations, it’s important that children understand the ins and outs of therapy to start off on the right foot.

And as therapists, you can help guide parents in the right direction. A.C.E. is a practical approach to sharing new information with children. Share the A.C.E. approach below with the families you work with to better navigate transitions like going to therapy and share information in a helpful way.

Assess

Assess your beliefs and feelings surrounding therapy and your chil'd mental health challenges. This will help you work towards shifting or neutralizing negative believs and regulating overwhelming emotions.

Communicate

Communicate using age-appropriate and developmentally-appropriate information. You'll want to consider when to share and how much to share. Then, you'll ask about what they already know and fill in the gaps with who, what, where, why, and when.

Engage

Engage children in activities that foster understanding of what therapy entails with repitition, informal play, and talking.

Helping children understand what to expect is an important way to maintain a sense of security and felt-safety when doing something new. By approaching the topic with sensitivity and openness, you lay the foundation for a positive and beneficial therapeutic journey for your whole family.

Watch this video where I explain how therapists and caregivers can use the A.C.E. approach to introduce kids to therapy, plus a FREE guide you can print at home or in the office, too!