<p>I am looking for a good therapist for DS, preferably in eastern Westchester County, NY, or lower CT. His major issue is underachievement. He is very bright, with no learning disabilities, but has a GPA below 2.0. </p>
<p>I would be grateful for any suggestions.</p>
<p>Have you spoken to his pediatrician? That may be a good place to start.</p>
<p>That’s a great suggestion, dke! I’ll call him today. Thanks.</p>
<p>This is not for real, right? If there is nothing wrong with him, then what could doctors do for him?</p>
<p>A good therapist can be very adept at discovering underlying issues and smoothing out bumps in someone’s life. Therapy is great not only for people who are suffering, but for those who are doing perfectly well. I’m doing just fine, but therapy made everything better. Therapy is significantly different from modern medicine. There’s not going to be anything alarming–no electroshock therapy, overmedicating, or overdiagnosing. Sometimes it’s helpful just to talk to an individual who doesn’t have anything invested in other aspects of your life, because they’re not going to judge you or be biased.</p>
<p>To the OP, you could also check with your health insurance provider. Usually they’ll have some sort of list of therapists, and you could narrow it down to learning difficulties specialists. You can also search for therapist reviews on the internet–I believe there are several different sites that offer something like that. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you very much for the suggestions, just an aardvark. I will pursue those leads.</p>
<p>Did you read the OP, oldfort? It is hardly a description of a child with “nothing wrong.”</p>
<p>oldfort, why would you think this is not for real? THere can often be underlying issues like anxiety (but that is just one example of many) that therapy can help underachieving kids with. Way better to start working on it now than have it all blow up in college.</p>
<p>WorriedMom, try the therapist search on the psychology today website.</p>
<p>You can see if they have specialties with children, and get an idea of who’s near you. They also list the insurance they accept.</p>
<p>Is this a new behavior for him or has he always achieved similar grades? Every parent thinks their kid is bright. Being bright doesn’t always transfer into being a good student.</p>
<p>Yet again, therapists are not just useful for diseases and sicknesses. If someone’s parent died, are they diseased because they are grieving? Do they not have a right to see a therapist because they don’t have a mental sickness? You don’t seem to have a good idea of what therapy is and what it accomplishes.</p>
<p>And I can understand why the OP might not want to ask someone at school–would you want to broadcast around that you think your kid should be in therapy? You’re not the only one who believes in the stigma surrounding therapy. Asking on CC is actually a much larger database of opinions, and it seems pretty reasonable to me. Why would you listen to an opinion of someone you know? They’re just one person. I don’t see why anyone on CC would give false information just to mess with the OP–the people who frequent parents’ cafe seem like a trustworthy lot.</p>
<p>Below a 2.0 GPA is always cause for concern. Every human being has the capacity to achieve a standard above that, and I see nothing ■■■■■-like about the fact that the OP wants her son to have a future, but does not want to broadcast her concerns to everyone at his school.</p>
<p>I have, in the past, made a CC account specifically for the purpose of inquiring about a mental issue that I did not want to link to my main account, in case someone happened to look through my posts and judge me for it.</p>
<p>Thank you, eireann, I will try that search engine.</p>
<p>nysmile, this behavior is now quite entrenched. It began in middle school and got worse in HS. DS has tested in the high reaches of the 99th percentile, in every area, on every standardized test he’s ever taken.</p>
<p>As you did, just an aardvark, I made a new CC account for this purpose. I don’t want this request for therapist recommendations to be linkable to the many posts under my regular account, because I have probably given enough information that DS might possibly be identified.</p>
<p>I second the recommendation that you ask your son’s pediatrician for a referral. </p>
<p>Another resource, though, is [Kenwood</a> Psychological Services](<a href=“http://www.kenwoodpsych.com/]Kenwood”>http://www.kenwoodpsych.com/). I have not personally used them, but the guidance department at my son’s school recommends Kenwood to parents who are seeking a therapist in the New York metropolitan area. The service helps find a therapist who is a good match in terms of temperment and cost/insurance. According to the guidance department, families at my son’s school who have used this service have been happy with the therapeutic matches.</p>
<p>Does he act out in the classroom? Does he disrupt the class? Have you spoken directly with the teachers regarding his grades? What do his teachers think about the situation?
Have you had conversations with your son regarding his grades? Does he hate his school?</p>
<p>SodiumFree, thank you for the suggestion - it looks like a great service. I will definitely call them.</p>
<p>nysmile, DS is not at all a behavior problem in school. His teachers are distressed at the situation, and some of them have expressed to me that they are very unhappy with the grades they have to give him. (Near-perfect test scores, missing homework/projects) I think they are baffled. Yes, we have had many conversations and he likes his school – was offered the opportunity more than once to go elsewhere but did not want to.</p>