Depending on the age of your child and the issues that need to be addressed, I may prefer to make the first meeting a parent meeting.
This is because I will want to hear everything I need to hear and it may not be a good idea for your child to hear you describe their challenges to me.
Your child may already feel badly about their issues and may feel embarrassed or ashamed, and does not realize that I understand they likely have many strengths in addition to the challenges we will be focusing on.
A Caring Approach to Child Therapy
I often try to approach the situation from a family perspective, so the child does not feel singled out as the source of the problems.
I will need to have the permission (and preferably involvement) of both parents to see your child (I recognize sometimes that is not possible).
Sometimes it is appropriate to get other family members involved as well and incorporate family therapy in the treatment of the child’s issues.