Assessment – In order for us to begin to get a clearer idea of what sort of things may be troubling you (or your child) we first carry out something called “an assessment”. This means we gather as much information as possible about your problems by asking lots of questions. We may ask about: you and your family, early development, school history, relationships in the family, problems that you have been having and what has been tried so far. We may meet with children or young people on your own, or with their family or carers.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – If you, or your parent or your teacher thinks you might have ADHD, then you may be referred to CAMHS. First CAMHS will ask your parent and your teacher to complete some questionnaires to see if your behaviour fits with ADHD. If it looks likely, a worker from CAMHS will visit your school, then visit you at home and also meet with you and your parent or carer at our clinic. If you do get a diagnosis of ADHD, CAMHS will offer you treatment and give you and your family or carers the support you may need.
Eating disorder service – A special team of experienced staff will work with you if you have an eating disorder. The team may include a: consultant psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, family therapist, community psychiatric nurse and an occupational therapist. You may be referred to this service if you are having problems eating that are affecting your health, for example if you are losing a lot of weight. We will work with you and your family or carers and take it step-by-step while we help you get better.
Family therapy – We have specialist family therapy teams at both Hillbrook and Fieldhead that can work with you and your family to talk together about difficult things that may be happening in your family. We work with you to help you find the best solution for your family. The teams are led by a family therapist and include other experienced staff.
In-patient admission – Wherever possible we are committed to providing your care in the community rather than in hospital. But, if you do need to be in hospital to get better, we have strong links with staff in other local Trusts and our adult mental health service.
Intervention (This is better known as treatment) – Once you have had an assessment by CAMHS, we will share our thoughts with you and your family and carer. Together we will plan and agree what treatment we think would work best for you. There are a lot of different treatment options we could discuss with you, these might include: individual counselling, family therapy, group therapy/group work, play therapy, art therapy, psychotherapy, deep relaxation, cognitive behavioural therapy, anxiety management, parental counselling or medication and practical support. Please speak to your CAMHS worker if you want to find out more about the different treatments we can offer.
Looked after children – If you are looked after by a foster family or if you are living in a Children’s Home, then we will try to help you with any problems you might be having, either with your feelings or with your behaviour. We will talk to your social worker and we will talk to your carer. If you want, we will also meet with you by yourself.
Severe Learning Disability (SLD) and Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) – No matter what your learning ability is, you may still be seen by CAMHS. We will talk to you and your parents or carers and will work with your school or your social worker, if you have one, to work out what the best treatment for you will be.
Substance misuse – If you are 18 years old or younger and have a problem with drugs, alcohol or other substances, our special team will offer you the right support to try and get over your problems. We work very closely with social services, an organisation called The Bridge and a range of other services, such as education and training organisations to help you recover.
Youth offending – If you are under 18 years old and have contact with a youth offending team, where appropriate CAMHS will be able to offer you mental health assessments and treatment. CAMHS also works with youth offending health workers and youth inclusion programme workers across the district and offers consultations, supervision, training, joint working and signposting. CAMHS can also offer you assessment and treatment if you are in custody.
