Pediatric Psychiatry and Psychology

Pediatric Psychiatry and Psychology

Mental Health Services for Children

When your child or teenager feels depressed, anxious or overwhelmed, our mental health experts use compassionate, state-of-the-art care to help them – and your family – cope and feel better.

Every child or teen experiences mental health challenges, traumas or crises. Children’s Health℠ is home to one of the nation’s most comprehensive pediatric psychiatry and psychology program. Our mental health experts help with everything from problems with mood and anxiety, to learning to manage and cope with medical illness, to struggling with eating disorders or even suicidal thoughts.

We also help you understand what type of care and what type of doctor or therapist may work best for your child. Whether it’s an outpatient evaluation or therapy services, our goal is to help every patient feel better and develop skills to overcome mental health struggles, so they can live a happy, fulfilling life.

Our Programs

Conditions We Treat

Top pediatric psychiatry experts

Psychiatrists are doctors who diagnose, treat and prevent mental health problems. We are one of only a few pediatric centers that has full-time, board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists leading all of our programs. These psychiatrists are also on the faculty at UT Southwestern. As highly trained doctors and researchers, they use the latest research and treatments to directly benefit our patients and families.

We offer a wide variety of specialized mental health programs, including:

SPARC (Suicide Prevention and Resilience in Children)
Teen Recovery Program for mental health and substance abuse
Eating Disorders Treatment Program for inpatient or outpatient care
Depression Clinic for children with depression

We offer different levels of care for your child. This means we can match your child with the care that gives them the best opportunity to feel better. These levels are:

Partial hospitalization and Day Treatment programs, for children who don’t need 24/7 care, but still may need several hours of daily treatment and care
Intensive outpatient care, for children who need several hours of treatment a week
Outpatient care, for children who can benefit from weekly or monthly therapy

I saw more friends posting on social media about the difficulties they were facing, I understood how many others needed a support system like I had.
Carmen, Patient

Mental health skills for kids and teens

We’ve found that child and family education is a critical part of children doing well. Whether your child or teen comes for a few therapy sessions or sees us over a period of years, we’ll help them and you learn skills that will help throughout life. These skills include:

Coping with stress and challenges
Strategies to improve mood and decrease anxiety
Developing and enhancing wellness strategies
Effective communication skills
Understanding the relationship between the mind and body
Education related to the child’s mental health diagnosis

Expertise in complex cases

Many children with physical health problems also have mental health issues. If a child has a physical health problem and also has depression, anxiety or another mental health problem, we have the expertise to understand how those conditions work together. Our therapists, psychologists and pediatric psychiatrists work hand-in-hand with other specialists across Children's Health. This team approach means we can understand all aspects of your child's condition and tailor treatment to their exact needs.

Support from nurses at every level of care

Nurses play a key role in helping your child cope and get better. That’s why we have nurses involved in every case, at every level of care. Our nurses take the time to answer your questions and to provide helpful education and care to your child.

Resources

Mental Health Resources for Kids and Teens

We offer a wide variety of specialized mental health programs, including:

SPARC (Suicide Prevention and Resilience in Children)
Teen Recovery Program for mental health and substance abuse
Eating Disorders Treatment Program for inpatient or outpatient care
Depression Clinic for children with depression

We offer different levels of care for your child. This means we can match your child with the care that gives them the best opportunity to feel better. These levels are:

Partial hospitalization and Day Treatment programs, for children who don’t need 24/7 care, but still may need several hours of daily treatment and care
Intensive outpatient care, for children who need several hours of treatment a week
Outpatient care, for children who can benefit from weekly or monthly therapy