Questions to Ask Your Child's Therapist
Most parents we work with arrive at the first therapy call slightly nervous, slightly hopeful, and slightly unsure what they are even allowed to ask. They want their child to get good care. They are also paying real money for it. The therapist is an expert. But you are the expert on your child, and the partnership only works if both sides are speaking honestly.
Here is a practical set of questions, organised by stage, that helps Indian parents make every session and every rupee count.
Questions before signing on
The first call or meeting matters more than most parents realise. It sets expectations on both sides and tells you a lot about how the therapist works. Spend twenty unhurried minutes on it if you can.
Useful opening questions: What is your training and how many years have you been working with children of this age and profile? What does a typical session look like with a child like mine? How do you decide what to work on first? What does parent involvement look like in your model? How do you measure progress, and how often do you review it with parents? What is your fee, what is included, and what happens if a session is missed?
Watch how the therapist answers, not just what they say. A good therapist will ask you questions too — about your child, your concerns, your daily life. If the call feels one-sided, that is information. If their answers feel rehearsed or vague, ask follow-ups. Specificity is a good sign.
Questions after the assessment
Most therapy journeys begin with an assessment session or two. After that, the therapist will usually share what they see and what they propose to work on. This is the moment to ask the questions that shape the next six months.
Ask: What did you see in the assessment, in plain language? What are your top two or three areas to work on first, and why those? What does success look like in three months? In six? How will I know if it is working? What are the signs that would tell us we need to change direction? What is my role in the work between sessions?
Also ask what the therapist is not the right person for. A good speech-language pathologist will tell you if they think you also need an occupational therapist, or a developmental pediatrician, or a different specialist. A therapist who positions themselves as the answer to everything is one to be cautious about.
Questions in the first month
The first month is for settling in, building rapport, and testing whether the early plan is making sense. By the end of it, you should have a clearer picture of how things are going.
Useful questions at this stage: How is my child settling in with you? What do you see in our home environment that is helping or hindering progress? What are you noticing that I might have missed? What are two or three specific things I can do this week that would help? Are there any patterns in how she responds that I should know about?
This is also the moment to share what you are seeing. Is your child more tired after sessions? More verbal? Sleeping differently? Bringing this up early lets the therapist adjust before patterns become entrenched.
Questions every quarter
Every two to three months, ask for a slightly more formal review. This does not need to be a meeting. A 20-minute call or a short written summary works fine. The point is to step back from the week-to-week and look at the bigger arc.
Ask: What progress have you seen against the goals we set? What goals have shifted, and why? What is working in our current approach, and what is not? Should we change frequency, format or focus? What is the plan for the next quarter? Are there other specialists I should consult at this point?
If your child is at a stage of meaningful change — starting school, transitioning to a new class, going through puberty — raise these too. Therapy plans built in October may not still fit in February. Reviews are not optional; they are how good therapy stays good.
Questions when you have concerns
At some point, most parents have a concern they hesitate to raise. Progress has slowed. The therapist seems distracted. A new behaviour has emerged. You read something online that worried you. The instinct is to wait and see. The better move is usually to ask directly.
Useful framings: I have noticed X over the last few weeks, what do you make of it? I am wondering if our current approach is still the right one, can we talk through it? I read something about Y, can you help me understand whether it is relevant for my child? I am feeling a bit anxious about whether we are on the right track, can we review?
Notice that these are open questions, not accusations. They invite the therapist to think with you, not defend themselves. A therapist who responds well to honest concerns is one worth keeping. One who deflects, dismisses or gets defensive consistently is worth reviewing more carefully.
If you find yourself building up a list of concerns you are not raising, that itself is worth noticing. It often signals either that the relationship needs a reset conversation or that a switch is worth considering. Carely's at-home therapy services are designed around regular parent-therapist reviews so that small concerns become conversations, not crises. For more on the broader journey, see our parent-to-parent guide, alongside reads on switching therapists without losing progress and how to explain therapy to your child.
Frequently asked questions
Will the therapist think I am being difficult if I ask too many questions?
A good therapist welcomes thoughtful questions. They are signs of a parent who is engaged. If asking reasonable questions feels uncomfortable, that itself is information about the relationship.
How often should I ask for a progress review?
Informally, every few sessions. More formally, every two to three months. If your child's life is changing fast — new school, new diagnosis, new sibling — more often is fine.
What if the therapist gives vague answers?
Ask for a specific example. “Can you give me one concrete thing she did today that shows that?” Vague answers often become specific when politely pushed.
Should I be in every session asking questions?
Not during the session, usually. Save bigger questions for the start or end of sessions, or for short scheduled conversations. Sessions themselves are for your child's work, not yours.
What if I disagree with the therapist's recommendation?
Say so. “I hear what you are suggesting. I am hesitant because of X. Can we talk through it?” A good therapist will engage with that. Therapy works best as a partnership, not a directive.
How do I know if I am asking the right questions?
If the answers help you make a decision or take an action, you are asking the right questions. If you are leaving conversations with no clearer sense of what to do, the questions — or the answers — need to be more specific.