It was so refreshing to read something that acknowledges that kids often don't seek out their own psychological services! This is obvious, but through my entire foundation year at BMC all of the practice stuff we learned assumed that the client either sought out help or was legally required to receive services, which just doesn't apply when you're doing work with kids and teens! About 1/2 of my kids at school regularly refuse the services they're legally required to have in their IEPs, and it's not really my job to persuade kids to talk to me if they don't want to - just to be there if they do. The focus on building rapport is essential to get kids back for session 2, as the article states, but I do really wonder about types of clinical practice stuff to do with kids who just will not engage despite returning for sessions. I spent so much time at the beginning of the school year just focusing 100% on rapport - jenga, uno, drawing pictures, etc - which kind of seems like the move (because then you have the relationship already there if something comes up and they DO need/want to talk), but I am curious what others think about this? Like what do you do with a kid whose mom is forcing them to go to therapy and so they won't engage at all? Or a kid who has counseling in their IEP and refuses services every week all year? Its a complicated self determination thing when adults make decisions on behalf of their kid/teen that contradict what the kid/teen wants...