What to Ask What to Share

What to Share:

When accessing mental health services for your child it is very important to share all of the details of your child’s recent struggles and any past history that you think is relevant.

As a part of the intake process, the mental health professionals will ask you a variety of questions about your child, your concerns about their mental health, their developmental history, as well as, questions about you, your family, and your history. Sometimes these questions can seem a little intrusive but the mental health professional needs to ask them in order to determine whether or not your child is in need of and eligible for services.

Sometimes parents are hesitant or fearful to share the ‘whole picture or story ’ about how their child is doing or how much difficulty they as a parent are having managing their child’s mental health challenges. It can be scary to tell someone that you having trouble keeping your child and family safe due to escalating mental health needs, but it is very important to share accurate information in order to access the appropriate supports and services for your child.

It can be helpful to prepare for the intake meeting by thinking about where and when your child has the most difficulty and if there are things that are particularly helpful or non-helpful when they are struggling. It can also help to gather information about your child’s and family’s history by looking back though your records and/or thinking about significant events you think are important to share and write down notes as a reminder of things to share at the meeting. If you would like help preparing or more information about the types of things you may want to share please call ACMH and ask to talk with our Family Resource Specialist today.

What to Ask:

When trying to access services for your child, be sure to ask any questions you may have about what will happen next, service providers, determinations about eligibility and any treatments or services that are suggested.

Your participation as a parent is critical to your child’s success so be sure you have all your questions answered and feel comfortable with the process!

Some parents feel uncomfortable asking professionals questions when they are seeking help. If you need some support to feel more confident to ask questions or feel you are not getting the information you need call ACMH today and a family resource specialist can help. Get more information about questions to ask about proposed treatments, medications, etc by clicking here.