Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

Patient and Family Resources

We want you to have all the information you and your child need to understand your child’s condition and to participate in treatment. This page provides links to resources that we hope will be helpful.

Resources at Seattle Children’s 

Resources in the Community

Even if we do not have openings, it is important to get care when your child needs it. There are many resources in the community that can help. 

Treatment Groups

We offer a number of groups for children, teens and their parents and caregivers. Treatment in a group format is shown to be highly effective. It also allows more families to receive care. We hear from families that our groups provide support and connection and help to reduce the stigma that can come with having a mental health condition.

Before your child or teen can join one of our groups, they need to have an evaluation appointment. This will help us understand the child’s diagnoses and come up with a treatment plan. Taking part in a treatment group may be one of the recommendations that comes from their evaluation.

Treatment groups provide hands-on skills and education to children and adolescents who struggle with their emotions and behaviors. Many of our groups also have a parent group that takes place at the same time. Some programs are parent-only groups that provide skills and education to parents without their child present. We create treatment groups based on current research and best practice for treating mental health conditions.

How to get services

If you are new to Seattle Children’s Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine clinics and are interested in signing your child up for a group, you will need to get a referral from your primary care provider. They will need to send us a referral for the group you are interested in. If we receive a referral from your provider, we will let them know if we have an opening or not. If we have room in the group, we will contact you to answer questions to see if the group is a good fit and then we will schedule an evaluation appointment. Learn more about how to get mental health services at Seattle Children’s.

If you are a current patient, please talk with your Seattle Children’s provider. They can recommend a group, as well as provide a referral.

Cost

The cost of each group differs. We will bill your child’s insurance for each session you attend. Read more for details on a specific group.

  • Anxiety

    Anxiety Program 

    • Audience: Ages 6–17 (split into separate groups, based on age)
    • Locations: Bellevue and Main Campus
    • Number of sessions: 9
    • Date and time: Tuesdays from 5–6 p.m. at Main Campus and Wednesdays from 5-6 p.m. at Bellevue
    • Format: Child and parent groups offered at the same time (parent/caregiver attendance is required) 

    School Avoidance Group 

    • Audience:Parents and middle and high schoolers
    • Locations:Main Campus
    • Number of sessions:8
    • Date and time:Tuesdays from 10–11:30 a.m.
    • Format: First 2 sessions are parent-only and then the remaining are a parent-child joint group
    • Read more (PDF). 

    Selective Mutism Group 

    • Audience: Parents and children ages 3–7 and 8–12
    • Locations: Main Campus
    • Number of sessions: 8
    • Date and time: Tuesdays from 10–11:30 a.m. (for ages 3-7) and Thursdays from 10–11:30 a.m. (for ages 8-12)
    • Format: Child and parent groups offered at the same time
    • Read more (PDF).

  • Cancer

    Middle School Life (After Cancer) 

    • Audience: Children ages 11–14 and their parents
    • Number of sessions: 8
    • Location: Main Campus
    • Date and Time: Tuesdays from 5–6 p.m.
    • Read more (PDF).
    • AYA Cancer Group (PDF)

  • Eating disorders

    Meal Support 

    • Audience: Parents of children (any age) with eating disordered behavior
    • Location: Main Campus
    • Number of sessions: 1
    • Date and time: Thursdays from 5–7 p.m. or Sundays from 12:30–2:30 p.m.
    • Format: Parent group
    • Read more (PDF). 

    Skills Training for Adolescents in Recovery (STAR) 

    • Audience: Adolescents (ages 13–17) in ongoing outpatient treatment
    • Location: Main Campus
    • Number of sessions: Ongoing
    • Format: Adolescent group
    • Read more (PDF).

  • ADHD

    Incredible Years 

    • Audience: Parents of children ages 8–11 who have ADHD
    • Number of sessions: 20
    • Location: Main Campus
    • Date and Time: Wednesdays from 4–6 p.m.
    • Format: Parent group
    • Read more (PDF). 

    Incredible Years and Dinosaur School 

    • Audience: Ages 6–8
    • Number of sessions: 20
    • Location: Bellevue and Main Campus
    • Date and Time: Thursdays from 4–6 p.m.
    • Format: Parent and child group 

    Parenting Children with ADHD 

    • Audience: Parents of children ages 6–12 with ADHD
    • Number of sessions: 9
    • Location: Bellevue and Main Campus
    • Date and Time: Mondays from 4–5 p.m. at Bellevue and Tuesdays from 4–5 p.m. at Main Campus
    • Format: Parent group
    • Read more (PDF). 

    Parenting Teens with ADHD 

    • Audience: Parents of children ages 14-17 with ADHD
    • Number of sessions: 12
    • Location: Main Campus
    • Date and Time: Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m.
    • Format: Parent group
    • Read more (PDF). 

    Teen Organization Planning and Study Skills (TOPS) 

    • Audience: High school students only
    • Number of sessions: 8
    • Location: Main Campus
    • Date and Time: Tuesdays from 4–5 p.m.
    • Format: Adolescent group
    • Read more (PDF).

  • Early childhood

    Incredible Years (Early Childhood) 

    • Audience: Parents of children ages 2–5
    • Number of sessions: 20
    • Location: Main Campus
    • Date and Time: Thursdays from 1–3 p.m.
    • Format: Parent group

    Parent Anxiety Group (Early Childhood) 

    • Audience: Parents of children ages 3–6
    • Number of sessions: 8
    • Location: Main Campus
    • Date and Time: Wednesdays from 3–4 p.m.
    • Format: Parent group

Support and Support Groups

  • Guided Pathways provides support for families and their children living in King County. They provide one-to-one parent support to help guide parents while their child is having difficulty and during recovery. They also provide peer support to guide youth through difficult times.
  • List of support groups at Seattle Children’s

Videos

Children’s Mental Health (Video: 0:31)

Parent Voices: Hope and Faith in the Midst of Illness (Video Series)

Firearm Safety and Suicide Prevention (Video 0:30)

Firearm Safety and Suicide Prevention - Spanish (Video 0:30)

Preventing Suicide: What Families Need to Know (Video 4:50)

External Links

  • DSHS/Medicaid

If your child is covered only by DSHS/Medicaid and lives outside King County, we can only treat your child in our clinics if their county has a contract with us for services. Medicaid requires patients to see a mental health provider who has a contract in the county where the patient lives. Look up providers by county(PDF).