Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

Services We Provide

Seattle Children’s Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine team specializes in providing short-term, evidence-based care for children and teens. The services we offer to your child depend on your child’s condition, the special training and skills of our providers and the openings we have.  

These are our specialty clinics and programs:

    • Who we see: Children and adolescents ages 13 to 17 
    • What we offer: Intensive mental health treatment and services 6 hours a day, 5 days a week.
    • How to request care: We accept internal referrals only. Seattle Children’s providers may call the Adolescent PHP at 206-987-3344 to see if there is capacity and place a referral.
    • Read more about the Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program.
    • Who we see: Children and youth 15 months to 21 years old who have autism spectrum disorder.
    • What we offer: Diagnostic evaluation; a wide array of treatment programs in individual and group settings; referrals to other care and resources; research to better understand the causes and treatments for autism.
    • How to request care: You need a referral; ask your child’s primary care provider.
    • Read more about the Autism Center. 
    • Who we see: Children and teens ages 5 to 15 with disruptive behavior or attention problems, like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and their families.
    • What we offer: Consult visits, diagnostic evaluations, classes, group training for caregivers, groups for caregivers and children or teens together, Disruptive Behavior Crisis Clinic and 1-on-1 therapy for caregivers through Foundations for Managing Disruptive Behavior.
    • How to request care: You need a referral; ask your child's primary care provider.
    • Read more about the Behavior and Attention Management Program.
    • Who we see: Children and teens who are having a suicidal crisis that is not an emergency.
    • What we offer: We provide quick access to 1 to 4 visits.
    • How to request care: Community providers, parents and caregivers may call Outpatient Psychiatry Triage at 206-987-2164, option 2, to see if we have openings and place a referral by phone.
    • Read more about the Behavioral Health Crisis Care Clinic.

  • Español

    • Pacientes que vemos: niños y adolescentes de 12 a 18 años con problemas de salud mental o de comportamiento que hablan español y a sus padres o cuidadores.
    • Lo que ofrecemos: servicio bilingüe de evaluación y tratamiento a corto plazo y terapia de grupo con base científica.
    • Como solicitar atención: puede pedirle al proveedor de atención médica de cabecera que envíe la referencia para el programa junto con sus notas por fax al 206-985-3121.
    • Más información sobre el Servicio CALMA.

    English

    • Who we see: Spanish-speaking children ages 2 to 18 who have mental health or behavior concerns and their parents and other caregivers
    • What we offer: Bilingual evaluation and treatment, including short-term, evidence-based group treatments
    • How to request care: Ask your child’s primary care provider to submit a referral to the program by faxing a referral and notes to 206-985-3121.
    • Read more about the CALMA Clinic.
    • Who we see: Parents and caregivers of children and adolescents ages 5 to 12 who are having a behavioral crisis.
    • What we offer: We provide quick access to 4 visits for caregivers.
    • How to request care: Community providers may call the Disruptive Behavior Crisis Clinic at 206-987-4820 or email us to see if we have openings and to place a referral.
    • Read more about the Disruptive Behavior Crisis Clinic.
    • Who we see: Children age 4 or younger who have behavior issues, anxiety, sleep problems, neurodevelopmental problems or prenatal (before birth) exposure to alcohol or drugs. We also see children who have other medical conditions along with a behavioral or emotional problem.
    • What we offer: Evaluation, treatment recommendations, individual and group training for parents, and referrals to other care and resources.
    • How to request care: You need a referral; ask your child’s primary care provider.
    • Read more about the Early Childhood Clinic.
    • Who we see: Children ages 6 to 18 who have anxiety disorders such as separation anxiety, selective mutism, social anxiety, school refusal, panic disorder and specific phobias. In addition, we treat obsessive-compulsive disorder and related conditions, including trichotillomania, excoriation disorder and tic disorders, like Tourette syndrome. We also treat children ages 6 to 18 who have mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder, as well as psychotic disorders, eating disorders and gender concerns.
    • What we offer: Evaluation, treatment recommendations, short-term individual therapy for children, group treatment for children and parents, medicine and referrals to other care and resources.
    • How to request care: You need a referral; ask your child’s primary care provider.
    • Read more about the Mood and Anxiety Program.
    • Who we see: Children ages 5 to 15 who have attention, learning or behavior problems.
    • What we offer: Evaluation, development of a treatment plan for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related conditions, collaboration with the referring primary care provider (who provides ongoing care), medicine consultations and evaluations, follow-up consultations, second opinions and access to behavioral treatment group programs and research studies.
    • How to request care: You need a referral; ask your child’s primary care provider.
    • Read more about PEARL.

For children who need hospital-based care, we have an inpatient unit:

    • Who we see: Children ages 3 to 17 who are in crisis due to complex mental health issues. 
    • What we offer: Short-term care in the hospital during a crisis.
    • How to request care: Patients are admitted to the PBMU only after they come to an emergency room and providers there decide they would benefit from an inpatient stay.
    • Read more about the PBMU.

We also offer:

  • We have providers who specialize in working with Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing children and teens who have mental health concerns. This team includes Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing mental health specialists. All of them are fluent in Sign Language. Read more about mental health services for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing children and teens (PDF).

    Summer 2023 group options for Deaf or Hard-of Hearing children and teens

    • Summer 2023 Virtual Middle School Skills Group Flyer (English) (Spanish)
    • Summer 2023 Virtual Support Group Program for DHH High School Students (English) (Spanish)

  • The Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine team consults and collaborates with Seattle Children’s medical and surgical providers who are caring for children with a wide range of health conditions. Pediatric psychologists, who are specially trained to help children and teens deal with serious illness, are part of the care team for the Cancer, Heart, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Craniofacial Centers. They are also available to consult with patients in other programs as needed.

  • Your child may be eligible for telepsychiatry services (using interactive videoconferencing) through partner clinics to reach children and families outside the Seattle area. We also provide telepsychiatry services through behavioral health agencies in Benton, Franklin, Grant, Thurston, Douglas, and Whatcom counties in Washington and in selected sites in Alaska. Seattle Children’s is a national leader in providing telehealth services.

Our Approach to Care

  • We begin care with a thorough diagnostic evaluation to understand what is going on with your child and where it would be most helpful to receive care. We may recommend treatment at Seattle Children’s or in the community.

    Our team at Seattle Children’s provides targeted individual and group treatment using evidence-based methods to help your child meet specific goals.

    Most of our treatment plans are short term (less than 6 months). If your child needs longer-term care, we connect you with people and resources in the community who can meet your child’s needs.

  • You are an expert about your child. Our providers are experts about emotional and behavioral health and about caring for young people in partnership with their families. Together, we can help your child thrive.

    Parents play an active role in evaluation and treatment. This includes measuring your child’s behavior regularly and tracking their progress using an online system. Measuring behavior and reviewing results helps us know what is working so we can shape your child’s treatment.

  • Many children, teens and parents take part in our group treatments. In groups we teach about mental health conditions, how to cope with challenging emotions and situations and how to change behavior. Groups show children and teens they are not alone, give parents valuable support and allow us to serve more families. Learn more about group treatments.

  • Depending on your child’s needs, they may see a psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health therapist or psychiatric nurse practitioner on our team or a psychiatrist- or psychologist-in-training who is highly qualified and supervised by our experts. All are trained in the specific needs of children and teens.

The Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine team also provides services through Seattle Children’s Autism Center, the Eating Disorders Recovery Program, the Gender Clinic and the Pediatric Feeding Program. 

Services in the Community

Services are available in the community for these needs. We do not offer these services:

In a crisis?

If you, your child, family or friend needs help right away, call or text 988. Chat is another option. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support for people in distress, as well as prevention and crisis resources. The Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States.

Hotlines for Youth (PDF) provides other options for immediate help for children and teens. (Also available in Amharic, Arabic, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.)