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Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

Our Services

The providers in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Department assess, diagnose and treat children and adolescents from infancy to age 18. Services for young adults 18 to 21 may be available in specialized programs. A primary focus is treatment of children and adolescents with coping, behavioral or psychiatric concerns associated with acute or chronic medical illnesses or neurodevelopmental disorders, such as organ transplant, cancer and craniofacial issues. We utilize a variety of state-of-the-art modalities to assess and treat complex or unusual psychiatric and psychological disorders. A request from a primary care or behavioral health provider is required to be seen in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Department at Seattle Children's.

Areas of Particular Focus

Autism spectrum disorders
Complicated and or treatment resistant attention deficit disorders
Children with co-occurring medical and surgical conditions
Depression/anxiety/mood and bipolar disorders with co-existing medical illnesses
Eating disorders – pre-care evaluation to assess inpatient treatment, and limited outpatient services
Inpatient hospitalization for children and adolescents who require short term stabilization and support for reintegration into their communities.
Telepsychiatry service for long-distance consultation with partner sites in Wenatchee, Olympia, Yakima, Longview and Aberdeen, Washington, and Ketchikan, Alaska

Providers at local community mental health centers and in the private practice community are able to provide appropriate diagnosis and treatment of primary mental health issues. We support a system that emphasizes receiving primary care services from these community providers and have provided a list of resources for your reference.

Medicaid requires that patients receive mental health care in their county of residence if they meet Washington state access to care criteria. If a second opinion or consultation is needed regarding medication, please call the Partnership Access Line at 866-599-PALS (7257). Otherwise, all patients funded by Medicaid or Healthy Options who reside outside of King County should be referred to a local community mental health center contracted with the Regional Services Network (RSN).

Submitting a Request for a New Appointment

The New Appointment Request Form (NARF) (PDF) is used for new requests to all clinics in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Department.
Please fax the NARF to 206-985-3121.
To ensure appropriate scheduling and coordination of your patient's care with Seattle Children's, please include all information requested on the NARF.
A member of the intake staff will review the request and contact you with any questions or to request additional information.
You will receive a fax confirming that your NARF has been received. Once an appointment is scheduled, you will receive a letter with the date and time of the appointment.

Partnership Access Line (PAL)

The Partnership Access Line (PAL) is a telephone-based child mental health consultation system for primary care providers. PAL serves the states of Alaska, Washington and Wyoming. PAL is staffed by child and adolescent psychiatrists affiliated with the University of Washington School of Medicine and Seattle Children’s Hospital to deliver its consultation services. In addition, PAL has a master’s-level social worker who can assist with finding mental health resources for patients with any type of insurance (state, private or no insurance).

PAL is available to primary care doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants throughout the states of Alaska, Washington and Wyoming.

PAL provides rapid consultation responses during business hours for any type of mental health issue that arises with any child.

Alaska PAL (PAL-PAK) is available 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alaska time by calling 855-599-7257.
Washington PAL is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time by calling 866-599-7257.
Wyoming PAL is available 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mountain time by calling 877-501-7257.
Washington Mental Health Referral Service for Children and Teens: This free service connects patients and families to evidence-supported outpatient mental health services in their community. It serves children and teens 17 and younger from across Washington State. The program is funded by Washington Healthcare Authority and operated by Seattle Children’s.
PAL for Schools: This telepsychiatry consultation pilot program connects school staff and students to psychologists and psychiatrists at Seattle Children’s and the University of Washington.

Healthcare providers do not have to enroll to use the service; simply call the toll-free number during business hours with any type of child mental health question.

PAL is currently available throughout the states of Alaska, Washington and Wyoming. Learn more.

Community Behavioral Health Resources

Below is a list of those diagnoses or conditions for which community resources are available to serve your patients' needs. We have included links that may help you find appropriate help for your child.

Patients covered by Washington Apple Health (Medicaid)

We accept all Medicaid Managed Care Organization plans (Amerigroup, Community Health Plan of Washington, Coordinated Care, Molina and United Health Care Community Plan).