Sonny’s Story: Parent Meeting
by Toriann Clarke, MA, LPC, NCC
Please note: This is not an actual child case. “Sonny” has been created as a characterization of a child client for the purpose of explaining family therapy dynamics. This is the fourth article of the series Sonny’s Story.
This was the first time that Sonny’s parents were meeting with the clinician independently in a long time. Sonny knew that the meeting was going to be happening and was disappointed that he would be missing his session that week in place of a parent meeting. The clinician spoke with him and discussed what he was comfortable to share with his parents. Sonny was comfortable with the arrangement and the parent meeting was set.
Sonny made progress and the clinician wanted to have a conversation with his parents about it. The parents had so many wonderful things to say. They discussed the ways in which Sonny started to change with counseling. Mom noted that he was able to spend more time with her and wanted to do so. Dad shared that it was less than a hassle for him to engage in some of his preferred activities and he even found new ones. Both parents discussed an overall increase in happiness and excitement for his life.
The clinician transitioned the conversation over to talk about all the progress that Sonny’s been making and what that meant for his time in counseling. Before the clinician could even bring up termination, both parents mirrored each other in saying that they weren’t sure how much longer counseling would be a necessity but rather a healthy option. The clinician agreed with both of the parents citing all of the progress that was made, and his resiliency when there were challenges present.
The clinician shared that she would have a conversation with Sonny about all of his progress and see how he felt about termination. When the clinician had the conversation with Sonny’s parents, his parents were very different from the first meeting they had, when they discussed the challenges with Sonny. Mom shared during the meeting that her main focus was no longer Sonny’s anxiety. She was able to put more of her energy towards her extracurricular activities. Dad shared that he was able to feel more connected to the family because they spent more time together. He noted that he’s been able to plan more day trips with less stress. Sonny’s parents not only saw the difference in themselves, but the changes that took place for the betterment of their family. The clinician closed out the parent meeting and discussed the likelihood that their next meeting together would be Sonny’s final session.
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