From the author: When I work with children and parents, I often encounter the fact that at the first appointment I have to pay attention to issues that can be resolved before the session. This would allow save time and fully immerse yourself in the problem that people came to me with. Therefore, I described some parental expectations and gave recommendations for parents who have decided to see a psychologist. I think these simple notes will be useful to you. They will help you prepare for your appointment with a child psychologist. And decide what kind of help you want. In order for the meeting to be effective and for you to get the maximum benefit from a consultation with a child psychologist, you can do a number of preparatory actions. Some of them relate to the organization of the consultation, others - your expectations and requests from the meeting. I’ll tell you first about the organizational issues. Organize your time so that you can come to the appointment without delay. The consultation usually lasts 1 hour, and if you are late, there will be less time for the conversation. And after the consultation, you will need time to think and “digest” the information, and it will be great if you don’t have to rush anywhere. Discuss with the psychologist in advance when it is better to come immediately with the child, and when without him. It often makes sense for only the parents to come first. Then you can discuss questions that are inconvenient to voice in front of the child, tell what the psychologist should know about your situation, your concerns and fears. Also, a meeting without a child will allow you to talk about parenting difficulties and get support as a parent. Determine the range of issues that are important for you to discuss at the meeting. You can write them down so you don’t forget or get lost. Take your child’s medical record with you. She may not be needed, but it will be better if she is nearby when you need to clarify information about the child’s health, early development, or previous visits to the psychologist. If the child is afraid of doctors, explain to him that the psychologist is not a doctor, he will not touch the child and force him to do something if he doesn’t want to. If you decide to come with your child, organize someone to help you who can stay with him on the street, in the car, in the hallway, so that the child does not distract you when you go to your questions. If a psychologist has invited your child to diagnose memory or attention, then, if possible, you should choose the morning and free the child from mental stress before completing psychological tasks. Because it is better to carry out all psychological tests in the morning. And if for some reason this is impossible, inform the diagnostician about it. And now – a few words about the expectations that parents have before meeting with a psychologist. And I hope that these recommendations will help you get the most out of your consultation with a child specialist. Don't expect your child or teenager to tell the psychologist what they don't tell you. For a child, a psychologist is a stranger from the adult world. He has no reason to trust a stranger and share secrets. In order to gain trust and establish contact, the psychologist may need more than one meeting with the child. If you expect the psychologist to see something in your child that you do not know, then you may be disappointed, because the psychologist does not know how to guess other people’s thoughts. In his work, he relies on his knowledge, observation, your story about the problem and psychodiagnostic techniques. And his conclusions may seem very ordinary to you. Do not expect that the child will improve after an appointment with a psychologist. A visit to a psychologist is not a corrective measure, but an appeal for help; the psychologist will not punish the child and will not take your side. He will respect the neutrality and interests of each of the parties who contacted him. If you expect immediate results after a meeting with a psychologist, you will most likely be upset. After several consultations with a psychologist, the child’s behavior will not change. For lasting changes, long-term work is necessary, because even a common runny nose.