Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Access professional support to help your child thrive. Look to Acclaim Multi-Specialty Group’s compassionate, experienced providers who specialize in child and adolescent mental health.
What Do Child Psychiatrists Do?
Children and adolescents are not little adults. Your child has unique mental and behavioral health care needs as they grow up. Depend on psychiatrists with special training to care for children and adolescents. We’ll provide personalized services and treatments that are age- and developmental stage-appropriate. We care for children and teens, ages 6-17, from diverse backgrounds in Tarrant County and surrounding areas.
Child and adolescent providers with Acclaim Multi-Specialty Group help children and their families with concerns about:
- Behavior
- Development
- Interpersonal and social difficulties
- Problems at home and school
Mental Health Care Misconceptions
Recognizing if your child is struggling is the first step to helping them. Please do not feel uneasy about looking for mental health care for your child. Every person deserves and needs support at some point in their life. With education and treatment, you and your child can look forward to making improvements and building skills that benefit them today and into adulthood.
Conditions We Treat
Find treatment for a wide variety of common child and teen mental and behavioral health concerns, including:
- Abuse, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Behavior issues, such as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
- Mood disorders such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, and depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Schizophrenia and psychotic disorders
- Self-harm
- Stress
- Suicidal thoughts
- Tic disorders
When to Get Mental Health Care for Your Child
Seek help from your child’s pediatrician or primary care provider (PCP) first if your child tells you they’re having a hard time or shows significant behavior changes. Your PCP knows your child or teen’s medical history and can make a referral if appropriate.
You may also receive a referral if there are safety concerns or signs your child has trouble succeeding at home or school, maintaining relationships, or if symptoms affect their quality of life.
Mental Illness Symptoms
Watch for common mental illness symptoms in your child or teen, such as:
- Academic struggles and declining grades
- Conflict with family or friends
- Crying spells
- Lack of focus
- Sadness
- Self-injury
- Sleep problems
- Tantrums or anger outbursts
How to Access Care
Partner with our mental and behavioral health professionals for high-quality, skilled care for your child or adolescent. You can begin care and services with our providers by:
- Calling the John Peter Smith Hospital (JPS) Outpatient Behavioral Health Call Center at 817-702-3100 to schedule an appointment for fast and efficient care
- Having your pediatrician or child’s PCP send a referral to us
Preparing for the First Appointment
At least one parent or legal guardian must attend the first appointment with your child. Collect and bring the following:
- List of current and past medications
- Medical records, including hospitalizations and doctors
- School records and reports such as grades, individualized education plan (IEP) or Section 504 plan, and teacher feedback
- Other relevant paperwork, such as psychological testing results
What to Expect
The first appointment focuses on information gathering and assessment of your child to determine the next steps. The appointment may take between 45 minutes to an hour and a half.
You and your child should be prepared to answer many questions about your child’s mental, developmental, and physical health history together and separately. This gives your child time to talk alone with a provider and understand their active role in their care.
Trained, Professional Psychiatric Team
Benefit from the varied backgrounds, training, and expertise of our board-certified child and adolescent psychiatry team. We have extensive experience diagnosing and treating pediatric mental health conditions and handling complex cases. Most importantly, we have a passion for helping children and their families.
Your care team may include:
- Board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists with years of experience
- Second- and third-year psychiatry residents
- Board-certified nurse practitioners
- Board-certified physician assistants
- Masters-level social workers and counselors
- Psychologists trained to work with children and adolescents
Feel confident in your child or teen’s care because our child psychiatrists have been voted Top Doctors by their peers in Fort Worth for over 10 consecutive years.
