Transitions can be hard for everyone involved. However, its also a good skill to practice so that it can slowly become easier. We have been trying over the last several months to try to reschedule kiddos with a different therapist when their regular therapist is going to be out. There are some really great benefits when this is done.
- Kids are given the opportunity to use their skills with a new person (are they able to generalize outside of their comfort zone)
- There is a new set of eyes on the kiddo which may see things that the regular therapist doesn’t notice because of familiarity
- Brainstorming and idea generation can occur to keep therapy fresh
- Transitions not only benefit the child, but the parents/care takers as well. Parents become so comfortable with their therapists, that it may be more difficult for them to do the transition, than the child.
- Provides a fresh venue for the child and will often highlight challenges that the child is still having outside of the therapeutic environment because they are working with someone new and less ‘comfortable’
I know this is a short post but I thought I would share some of our observations! That being said, I do believe in the continuity of a therapist working with a child, I just like to mix it up every once in a while because I do believe it is beneficial for all involved.
