Why do parents turn weekly therapy down?
Dr Daniela Graf, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, raised the point in a November 2023 post. She says families still reject weekly psychotherapy too frequently, for fear the child will miss too much learning content.
She estimates roughly 90% of the young patients in her consultations seek help for problems linked to school. The estimate is hers, not a clinic statistic. The problems range from learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyscalculia to bullying, trouble with peer groups and emotional complaints such as feeling overwhelmed, anxious, sad or lonely.
What does Dr Graf ask of parents?
Dr Graf sees outstanding academic support in Dubai: tutoring lessons, close work with school inclusion departments and assistants who support learning. Emotional support, she says, still falls short. Some families set academic progress aside for a while to focus on therapy, and she thinks it happens too rarely.
Her appeal is blunt. Straight A’s do not help a child who feels deeply unhappy or cannot deal with emotions. Read the post as one clinician’s firm view, not a rule for every child.
How much school does therapy take?
The clinic’s child psychology page says weekly sessions suit the early stage of therapy, because they build a positive therapeutic relationship. Some children need extra time at the start to build trust and feel comfortable. Later, sessions may run weekly or fortnightly. The psychologist reviews progress against agreed goals with the young person, the family or the two together.
The page gives no session length, so ask how long each visit lasts and which times suit your child’s timetable.
Can the psychologist work with the school?
Special educators at the clinic coordinate with a child’s school to align the learning plan with classroom expectations. Coordination covers assessment findings, recommended accommodations and check-ins with teachers on progress. The psychologist may also offer consultation to the school.
Parents decide whether and how assessment results reach the school, and the clinic can prepare reports for the purpose. A school assessment usually involves several testing sessions, then a detailed report and a feedback meeting with parents.
How can you weigh the decision?
Here is my suggestion, not the clinic’s: count what the problem already costs in school. The clinic’s school assessment FAQ lists trouble focusing, falling grades, slow reading progress and frustration with schoolwork as signs parents notice. If such signs already cost your child learning time, weekly sessions are not the only thing competing with lessons. Raise the timetable at the first consultation, and ask the psychologist how the school can adjust.
Book a first consultation
Read about the clinic’s child psychology service or Young Valens, then email info@thevalensclinic.ae. Every clinician at The Valens Clinic holds a licence from the DHA or the CDA.