Child Therapy Contract – Supporting Kidds

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Child Therapy Contract

Prior to beginning treatment, it is important for you to understand my approach to child therapy and agree to some of the rules about your child’s confidentiality during the course of their treatment. The information herein is in addition to the information contained in the Patient-Therapist Agreement. Under HIPAA and the APA Ethics Code, I am legally and ethically responsible to provide you with informed consent. As we go forward, I will try to remind you of important issues as they arise.

One risk of child therapy involves disagreement among parent(s)/caretaker(s) [herein after referred to as “caretaker(s)”] and/or disagreement between caretaker(s) and therapist regarding the best interests of the child. If such disagreements occur, I will strive to listen carefully so that I can understand your perspective and fully explain my perspective. We can resolve such disagreements or we can agree to disagree, so long as this enables your child’s therapeutic process. Ultimately, you will decide whether therapy will continue. If you or any party responsible for your child decide that therapy should end, I will honor that decision. However, I ask that you allow me the option of having a few closing sessions to appropriately end the treatment relationship with your child.

Therapy is most effective when a trusting relationship exists between the counselor and the patient. Privacy is especially important in securing and maintaining that trust. One goal of treatment is to promote a stronger and better relationship between children and their caretaker(s). However, it is often necessary for children to develop a “zone of privacy” whereby they feel free to discuss personal matters with greater freedom. This is especially true of adolescents, who are naturally developing a greater sense of independence and autonomy. By signing this contract, you agree to grant your child privacy in their therapy and you agree to not request specific information about what is disclosed during their therapeutic session.

It is my policy to provide you with general information about treatment status. I will raise issues that may impact your child either inside or outside the home. If it is necessary to refer your child to another mental health professional with more specialized shills, I will share that information with you. I will not share what your child has disclosed to me without their explicit consent. I will tell you if your child does not attend sessions. At the end of your child’s treatment, I will provide you with a therapeutic summary that will describe what issues were discussed, what progress was made, and what areas are likely to require intervention in the future.

If your child is an adolescent, it is possible that they will reveal sensitive information regarding sexual contact, drug and/or alcohol use, or other potentially problematic behaviors. Sometimes these behaviors are within the range of normal adolescent experimentation, but at other times they may require the caretaker(s) to intervene. We must carefully and directly discuss your feelings and opinions regarding acceptable behavior. If I ever believe that your child is at serious risk of harming themselves and/or others, I will inform you.

In cases where multiple parties hold rights to your child (such as two biological parents or a biological parent and a legally-appointed guardian), my responsibilities to your child may require my involvement in conflicts between these parties. By signing this contract, you agree that my involvement will be strictly limited to that which benefits your child. This means that you will treat anything that is said while in session with me is confidential. No party will attempt to gain advantage in any legal proceedings between the parties from my involvement with your child. In particular, no party will ask me to testify in court, whether in person or by affidavit. You also agree to instruct your attorney(s) not to subpoena me or to refer in any court filing to anything I have said or done.

Note that such agreement may not prevent a judge from requiring my testimony, even though I will work to prevent such an event. If I am required to testify, I am ethically bound not to give my opinion about custody or visitation suitability. If the court appoints a custody evaluator, guardian ad litem, or parenting coordinator, I will provide information as needed (if appropriate releases are signed or a court order is provided), but I will not make any recommendation about the final decision.

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