Mental Health Therapy

• Mental health therapy is a treatment based on the relationship between a person and a mental health therapist, such as a psychologist, a clinical social worker or a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC). You may hear the terms counseling, psychotherapy or just “therapy.”
• It involves you, your child and the therapist working together. You might attend sessions with your child, or the therapist may see your child alone.
• We try to identify the thought and behavior patterns that keep your child from feeling their best, then work on changing them.
• One type of family-based therapy teaches you skills to help manage your child’s behavior (see “What is parenting training?” below).

There are evidence-based therapies for your child’s specific needs. Evidence-based means there is a lot of research that a treatment program is effective for a specific condition or symptoms.

Your provider may recommend these types of therapy for your child:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): most effective for anxiety and depression.
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) for teens: improving relationships, managing emotions and dealing with frustration.
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT): for children and teens who have been exposed to trauma, such as physical abuse.
• General Coping and Emotion Regulation Skills Training: for help with learning to manage anger and frustration.
• Social Skills Training (SST): individual or group therapy to learn and practice social interactions and basic skills for successful and lasting relationships. Schools may offer social skills groups.

To find out more about these therapies, go to: nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/psychotherapies

This is therapy offered to all members of a family together at the same time. It often focuses on:

• Parent education and support
• Skill-building (for example communicating, regulating emotions and coping with challenges)
• Promoting family togetherness (cohesion)
• Support for family transitions, like divorce

Parent training is also called behavior management training. It decreases your child’s challenging behaviors such as difficulty following instructions (opposition or defiance) and aggression. It also increases social skills like cooperation and emotional control. If your child has a developmental delay, it is best to work with a therapist who has experience and training in working with children with special needs.

Evidence-based parent training programs include: The Incredible Years (IY), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and RUBI (Research Unit in Behavior Intervention) Parent Training program.

1. If you have health insurance, call them to find out more about coverage for mental health services.
2. Ask them for a list of providers who accept your insurance.
3. Share the list with your child’s primary care doctor and ask if they know or recommend any of the therapists on the list.
4. Contact the therapists to ask if they offer the type of the treatment your provider recommended.

See these 2 options for more tips on finding a mental health therapist:

• Washington’s Mental Health Referral Service for Children and Teens connects you with mental health providers in your area who accept your insurance and can meet your child’s specific needs.
  Call 833-303-5437 Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit: seattlechildrens.org/WA-mental-health
• You can also attend this free, on-demand, self-paced class at any time-
  Finding Mental Health Care in Washington State: A Class on Where to Start.
  For details, see: seattlechildrens.org/health-safety/mental-health-resources/finding-mental-health-class/

A mental health evaluation is an assessment by a psychologist or psychiatrist. They may diagnose mental health conditions like ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), anxiety or depression and determine if therapy is the best option.

The provider will gather information from your child, caregivers, school and other care team members. At the intake appointment, ask your provider for specific information on what the evaluation will involve and how long it will take to get it.

A medication evaluation is an assessment by a psychiatric provider who prescribes medicine. Medicine can be an important and effective part of treatment for some mental health conditions or symptoms.