ABSTRACT
This chapter guides parents through common roadblocks that may come up in the early weeks of doing the treatment. It offers a set of skills to work through and normalize any sensitive or painful areas, even for the child who may initially appear totally unable to accept parent touch. Questions such as how to best support a child in fight-or-flight mode are reviewed, and parents are given effective techniques that help them quiet the various forms of avoidance, resistance and refusal that may be encountered when starting QST. The focus then turns to a set of helpful questions that parents can ask themselves when they are feeling stuck, fearful or overwhelmed and gives simple guidance to ensure, for example, that they are doing the movements correctly, not rushing too quickly and distinguishing between a child’s fear versus agitation. The goal is to give parents the tools and confidence to address and successfully resolve difficulties in the early weeks of the treatment.
