Once you've found a therapist on Hayven and booked a time, you'll get a confirmation once payment goes through: for a virtual session, a meeting link appears on that booking; for in-person, you'll have the therapist's location.
The first session is almost never straight into "treatment": it's an intake. The therapist is getting to know your child and building a picture of what's going on: your concerns, your child's history, what's already been tried, and how your child responds in the room itself. Expect more listening and observing than structured activity.
For younger children, a lot of this happens through play rather than direct questions: a good therapist can learn as much from how a child plays as from what they say. Don't be surprised if the session looks informal; that's often deliberate.
You'll usually be asked questions about developmental history, any prior evaluations, and what a typical day looks like at home. It's worth writing a few specific examples down beforehand (a recent hard morning, a specific interaction that worried you). Specifics are more useful to a therapist than general impressions.
By the end, most therapists will give you a rough sense of what they're seeing and what the next few sessions will focus on, though a full picture usually takes a few sessions to form. If anything about the first session leaves you unsure, that's a completely reasonable thing to raise directly with the therapist. You can message them anytime through Hayven.
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis or medical advice. If you're worried about your child, the next step is a conversation with a qualified therapist.
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