Children's Mental Health Center FAQ
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Please bring your insurance card, and driver’s license. Court documentation showing legal guardianship is necessary, if not the child’s biological parent. You may also bring any medical, educational, or mental health records from your health care provider(s). For example: any prior psychological evaluation reports, 504 plan, or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) from your child’s school.
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The initial intake and psychiatric evaluations are scheduled for 90-minutes each. Subsequent appointments may last 30-60 minutes.
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Initial appointments are attended by the child and biological parent(s) or legal guardian. Appointments thereafter can be discussed on a case-by-case basis with the provider. The child, biological parent(s), and/or legal guardian must be present for medication management appointments.
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Typically, therapy occurs on a weekly basis. Medication management sessions occur, generally, on a monthly basis. However, the frequency of sessions is tailored to the child’s needs. The frequency of sessions is made on an individual basis with treatment providers.
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- In the case of an after hours’ emergency, please dial 911 or take your child to the nearest emergency room.
- Refer to your local jurisdiction’s website for additional crisis management options
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- Individual psychotherapy
- Family therapy
- Group therapy
- Medication management
- Available referrals for adjunct services
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- School
- Pediatrician
- Psychiatrist
- Therapist
- Any additional mental health providers/providers of child’s care (i.e occupational therapist)
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- Children/adolescents we treat are experiencing one or more of the following: marked changes in emotions, thoughts of hurting oneself or others, impulsive or aggressive behaviors, school difficulties including an overall decline in performance, self-injurious behaviors, tantrums, anger, attention difficulties, social adjustment difficulties, worries, low mood, irritability, abuse/trauma, opposition/defiance, grief, and parent-child relationship problems.
- If you have concerns, it is always best to start with your child’s Primary Care Physician, who can assist you with the proper referral.
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- Play Therapy (Play Therapy Association- https://www.a4pt.org/)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Beck Institute- https://beckinstitute.org/about/understanding-cbt/)
- Trauma Focused Therapy (National Child Traumatic Stress Network- https://www.nctsn.org/)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (Linehan Institute- https://behavioraltech.org/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt/)
- Recovery- Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) (https://beckinstitute.org/what-is-recovery-oriented-cognitive-therapy-ct-r/)