Consultation for Play Therapy

As a first step to accessing therapeutic support for their child/ren, parents and guardians can schedule a consultation appointment to discuss their concerns, whether Play/ Creative Therapy might be suited or whether there might be home or school strategies that could help as well. Below are some pointers to keep in mind with regard to booking a Consultation:

• In order to arrange an appointment time for a consultation, please email Janine at archtherapy@hotmail.com or alternatively, phone 089 4153493.

• During the Covid-19 crisis and government restrictions, consultations will be carried out online until further notice. Our Skype contact details are 'archcreativeandplaytherapycentre' or you may email your Skype details to archtherapy@hotmail.com after booking your appointment.

• The Consultation appointment will be attended by the parent/s only, without the child/ren.

• It tends to work best if all parents involved in the child's life attend the initial consultation. If necessary, individual consultation appointments can be scheduled for separated parents/ partners. All legal guardians need to consent to a child attending therapy in order to proceed with therapy sessions.

• Consultations take between 1.5 and 2 hours.

• At the consultation appointment we will discuss your concerns for your child/ren and their life history in detail as well as potential strategies that might support your child at home/ in school if possible. We will also discuss how Play/ Creative Therapy works in depth and whether this might benefit your child.

• If therapy is indicated as the next step, parents are asked to provide a list of days and times that would suit for weekly standing therapy appointments. If a suitable day/ time is found and available, this will be offered for your child to start sessions. If no suitable time is currently available, your child will go on a waiting list. Waiting times fluctuate but are generally shorter for for morning/ midday appointments, and longer for after-school appointments. The more flexible parents are to facilitate different days/ times for appointments, the shorter the wait generally.

• The fee per consultation is 60,-Euro.

• A 30,-Euro deposit is required to book a consultation appointment. Bookings are held on a provisional basis for 4 working days while payment is processed. The additional 30,-Euro will be charged on the day unless 3-days notice is given of cancellation/ rescheduling of the appointment.

• Payments accepted: Cash, Cheque, Bank Transfer
  (Soon to come: Online booking system accepting all major credit cards)

• In order to arrange an appointment time for a consultation, please email Janine at archtherapy@hotmail.com or alternatively, phone atc 089 4153493.

On the day: Attending the Consultation Appointment

• Parents Only – please do not bring your child/ren to the appointment as the consultation will not be able to go ahead with your child/ren in the room.

• If the €60 fee (or a portion thereof) has not been paid as of yet, it will be charged on the day. Payments accepted: Cash, Cheque, Bank Transfer (Soon to come: Online booking system accepting all major credit cards)

• There is no requirement to bring any documentation with you. However, if there are professionals' reports/ referrals for your child or court orders that are relevant, it would expedite matters to bring along copies of these.

• How many sessions will it take? This will depend on the child and is decided with help of the initial consultation and on-going reviews. Some children respond well to short-term interventions of 6-8 weeks. However, the more complex or long-term the child’s needs are, the longer therapy will necessarily take. Importantly, sessions will develop at the child’s pace. Reviews between parents and the therapist every 4-6 weeks will look at how things are going and when to conclude therapy.
  
  The office address is: 7 The Crescent, O'Connell Avenue, Limerick City, V94 A4NF.