During the first meeting, Dr. Smith meets with only the parent(s) in order to gather a detailed history and form an initial hypothesis. Parents will become co-coaches over the course of treatment. After the initial meeting, Dr. Smith will likely see the child/adolescent and the parent(s) separately and the child and parent(s) together. This can occur during a single session or over numerous sessions, depending on clinical need.

Typically, the younger the child, the more Dr. Smith involves the parent(s) in treatment. Mood and behavior issues very often go together. Children and some teens express their moods differently than adults, especially depression and anxiety. Dr. Smith aims to find the cause of mood and/or behavior challenge and to help the child/teen improve coping skills, replace maladaptive/unhealthy behaviors and improve communication with trusted adults.

Adolescents often want to discuss relationships and difficulties privately with an outside party. This is developmentally appropriate since the teenage years are a time to form individual identities and work to be viewed as separate from parents. School issues may center around relationships with teachers and peers or academic performance/concerns.