Court-Ordered Individual Therapy for a Minor
How The Program Works
Expert counseling and therapists serving Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, Leucadia, La Costa, Encinitas, and San Diego County.
Step 1 – Intake Assessment & Agreement
Each participant is assessed before therapy begins to ensure readiness and legal alignment.
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Individual session for each parent: Each parent shares their perspective and learns about the therapy process.
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Parent-child session (with the non-mandated parent): Prepares the child and parent for what’s to come and sets expectations.
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Review of court documents: Therapist reviews all relevant custody orders and referrals.
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Consultation with third parties: Includes contact with other therapists, minor’s counsel, or other professionals involved in the case.
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Therapy Agreement: The therapist outlines a full plan of care. All parties must agree to this contract before therapy can begin.
Step 2 – Progression Through Three Phases of Therapy
Once the treatment plan is accepted, the child moves through three carefully designed phases:
1. Child – Individual Therapy
The child meets with the therapist individually
The focus is helping the child
2. Involving Parent
In some cases, children will need assistance from a parent for a short-term issue
The therapist may involve one or the other parent in the process
Involving parents only happens when there is no conflict with doing so – the focus remains on the child, not the parent-chid relationship
Therapists may suggest parent-child therapy based on clinical metrics – both parents and minor’s counsel will be notified in writing
3. Consolidation
As the child improves, sessions taper in frequency.
The program ends with a closing session and a formal letter to the court summarizing progress and outcomes.
Our Program Helps Children Heal & Reconnect
We understand that court orders come after careful consideration of safety and best interest. If the court mandates custody visits or conjoint therapy, it believes healing is both possible and necessary – we take the position that there is no safety issue, unless the courts say otherwise. Our role is to facilitate the parental cooperation so that children can live with minimal stress.
We provide written updates to parents and professionals regarding:
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Progress made
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Barriers to success
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Non-compliance with the program
Ready To Start?
Most situations require the approval of both sides and sometimes the court or minor’s counsel (when relevant).
If you are seeking names of therapists to present to the other parent or court, you can list each therapists below for consideration – therapists on this page do Individual Therapy with a MINOR. We know court processes move slowly – bear in mind that listing our name is not a guarantee that the therapist will have an opening when you are ready to move forward.