Service description:
Every child deserves a healthy start, but the pressures of modern life can have as big an impact on the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people as they have on adults.
Here at NHFT we provide specialist CAMHS services to children and young people who have severe, enduring and complex mental health difficulties.
What we do
Child, adolescent and family services help children and young people aged 0 to 18 years and their families. We become involved when a child or young person is experiencing continuing emotional or behavioural problems.
GPs, teachers, social workers and other professionals refer patients to us.
We will always involve the family where appropriate. Some of the problems we help with include:
Acute psychiatric illness
Anxiety/depressive disorders
Attachment disorder
Attention deficit disorder
Autistic spectrum disorders
Eating disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Self-harm/attempted suicide
Severe phobias
Substance misuse
Unresolved bereavement
How we work
First we assess a family's needs and decide, with them, on an appropriate therapy and the best way to deliver it. We may work with individuals, or with some or all of the family together.
Most treatments are short term and might involve:
Cognitive-behaviour therapy
Family therapy
Group work
Individual Therapy
Psychiatric illness management and treatment
Solution-focused therapy
Usually, team members work alone, but sometimes they work together as co-therapists.
We work with clients in a range of community settings, including schools where we often run groups to promote children's self-esteem.
These are run by our child and adolescent primary mental health team. The team also works closely with other professionals, such as GPs, school nurses, health visitors and school staff, to improve their knowledge and understanding of child and adolescent mental health, helping them to give better care and support to children and young people.
Northamptonshire Healthcare's child and adolescent mental health service plays an important role in the county's Children and Young People's Partnership, which brings together a wide range of agencies and organisations to help ensure that all children in Northamptonshire are healthy, safe and able to enjoy and achieve throughout their lives.
A telephone support line is available for professionals call 0300 1111 022