As a parent who is looking for a psychoanalytic therapist for my child or adolescent, how can I go about selecting a person that feels to me like a good fit for him or her? I know that psychoanalytic therapy is aimed at in-depth exploration of the issues my child struggles with, and I know that this takes time. It feels important to me as a parent to choose a good person to do this work.

Most psychoanalytic therapists maintain websites where they offer an outline of their background and experience. This is often the best place to start. An initial impression of whether the therapist feels like a good fit for my child or adolescent often may come from a brief phone conversation with the parent or parents so that they can get to know each other a bit and can exchange some initial information about the child or adolescent. If the parent(s) are comfortable after this initial meeting, a next step is frequently to have the child or adolescent meet with the prospective therapist to see if both feel ready to proceed. If the therapist and the child/adolescent can form a helpful initial connection, then work can begin.

Every psychoanalytic therapist will be interested in getting to know you and your child or adolescent and in finding ways of working that are best fitted to his or her personality and specific needs.