School Refusal Treatment

Research has shown that the longer a child stays out of school, the more difficult it is to return to school. Therefore, our goal is to help your child to return to school as quickly as possible. In order to address school refusal, we would first need to do an intake assessment. This would consist of a 45 minute meeting with the parent(s) and a separate 45 minute meeting with the child. During these meetings, the clinician will gather diagnostic information to help our team make appropriate treatment recommendations. As part of our intake process, with your consent, we will speak with the child’s school and/or teacher and any other mental health providers. We may also ask for consent to speak to your child’s pediatrician and/or refer you to a medical specialist if there is a physical or health related concern impeding school attendance.

At the end of the intake process, we will make treatment recommendations which would include a treatment plan aimed at targeting the school refusal behavior along with any other contributing factors. Your treatment plan may include a combination of individual and family/parenting sessions, participation in a customized Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training, collaborating with school personnel.

Our goal is to maximize a child’s ability to fully return to school. However, there are variables unique to each child, family, and situation which may emerge during any phase of treatment. Our treatment team is continually assessing and evaluating progress. If we deem that your child’s needs exceed what we are able to offer at our center, we may recommend treatment outside The Koch Center to a higher level of care. We want you to know that our ultimate goal is to use our professional expertise to ensure that your family receives what we feel to be the most appropriate treatment recommendations to help your child increase school attendance and participation.

The following are some agreements/guidelines that may be included in your child’s/family’s treatment protocol. Our goal is to maximize the potential for success:

Parents and child will attend all sessions.
Both parents (if applicable) will participate in the treatment of the child.
Parents and child will share the goal of early return to school, even if it is initially a portion of the school day.
If the child is currently receiving home instruction or is doing online coursework, s/he will begin/or work towards doing this at school (e.g., in school library) vs. at home or at any location other than in the school building.
The child may not be allowed to do anything during school hours that s/he would not be allowed to do at school (e.g. video games, web/cell phone use). This allows for the removal of all competing reinforcers that interfere with school attendance.
When the child does not attend school, the parents and child agree to maintain a regular schedule (wake up at the regular time, eat lunch at school lunch hour, no participation in extracurricular activities until after school dismissal time).
Parents and child will agree to create a “school attendance contract” (with the help of their therapist).
Parents and child agree to meet with school personnel and the therapist to best plan and coordinate services and interventions.
Parents and child agree to medical assessment (if medical or physical problems exist that are related to school refusal).

If you would like to schedule an initial evaluation or if you have any questions, please call Dr. Cyndi Koch at 201-670-6450 x1 or email info@thekochcenter.com.