Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - Has anyone elses child under gone this?

[RoundTheBend]

I have a 12 year old DS with Aspergers who has just been diagnosed as clinically depressed. They have put him on AD's but also want him to attend CBT. I want/need to prepare him. Has anyone else's child been helped by this therapy and what can I tell him to expect please? And most importantly, did it help your child?

Thank you.

Hi RTB -- mine had this last year, but for excessive anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder rather than depression as such. He was 10 at the time and has Asperger's.

What happened?
-- lots of talking through what worried him and getting him to rank it in order of 'scariness' to him.
--very gradual exposure to the things that triggered his fear, starting with the least scary and building on each tiny success
--getting him to think of the fear as a thing in itself and then draw it, scrunch it up, shoo it away (this was less successful, I must say)
--learning to relax and concentrate on photos of things and places he really liked

Did it work?
--Yes! In fact it pretty much transformed his life (though we are seeing a bit of a slide back with the start of secondary.

I realise this isn't quite the same as for your son, but hope it helps a bit. Can you ask the therapist to tell you their approach and why you need to prepare your son?

Good luck. It does take a while (around 8 weeks in DS's case) but it was well worth it.

PussinWellies, you are a star! Thank you so much. My DS really does need to open out, so I really do hope that this therapy will help him. I will ring up and see if they have any information for me.