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Frequently Asked Questions
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Answers to Typical Questions |
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c. What should I
tell my child before the first appointment? |
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Most children will accept a simple explanation that
parents are trying to learn how their child learns
and how to best support her interests, talents, and
abilities. If the reason you are seeking services
is to deal with a specific problem, the child should
be told that parents are seeking help from Dr.
Newman to guide them in solving the problem, and
that the child will participate in the process by
helping Dr. Newman. You may notice that the focus
is on parents needing help or wanting to learn
something to help their child or to improve the
situation. Your child should be assured that she
did not do anything wrong that led to this visit to
the psychologist. In most cases, it also helps to
tell the child that Dr. Newman works with children
who have interesting ideas and who love to be
challenged. If the child is anxious, showing the
web site picture of Dr. Newman and looking at the
art work, photos of children, and office photos on
the web site may help lower the initial anxiety and
discomfort that is often felt prior to the first
appointment. If needed, this question can be
addressed in more depth during the parent interview
and before the child interview.
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