Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Services in Boston
Mental illness can happen to anyone at anytime and roughly half of all lifetime episodes of mental illness begin before the age of 14. The good news is that most mental problems that impact the brain chemistry of children and adolescents can be effectively treated using evidence-based pharmaceutical and psychological therapies. As parents we often tend to hold ourselves responsible for our children's mental health and that often is accompanied by heavy feelings of guilt and "what else could we have done different". While this way of thinking is almost automatic and adaptive to help parents in their pursuit of constantly learning and evolving in their journey to become optimal parents. At the same time, it is important to be insightful of the fact that most mental illness has a neuropsychiatric basis.
As a child psychiatrist, it is important to consider overall family dynamics and where the child fits in the family unit and to have an all encompassing approach to help diagnose and heal this very beautiful creation on this earth, the child's brain.
Untreated mental health illnesses can have a substantial detrimental influence on your child's health and emotional, social, economic, and communal ramifications. Treating the mental illness early on in life not only improve their future mental health but also have significant positive impact on their physical health, their relationships and reduces the prevalence of substance use in this population. Having a healthy mind in these most formative years of life leads to making healthy choices and eventually healthy and happy living. It is quintessential to add psychotherapy as a component to overall treatment. We work with several therapist in the area and help you provide resources which will be a fit for you and your child.
Psychotherapy can be of different types and different therapist use different approaches. They can vary for Parent child Intervention training to supportive psychotherapy, Cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, problem solving therapy, Trauma focused therapy, Exposure and response prevention therapy, EMDR(Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy and the list goes on. We work closely with therapists with a common goal to help improve your child's mental health so that they can achieve their full potential.
OUR APPROACH
OUR APPROACH
Our approach is to take the time to get to know your child, from the day they are born until present. We review the neuropsychology evaluations, if available, get collateral from relevant sources(therapists, teachers, social workers), get to know their strength and weaknesses, understand their upbringing and parenting styles, exposure to trauma, bullying and other relevant factors to get a comprehensive understanding of your child. It is important to have comprehensive yet focused approach to tease part various psychopathologies before formulating a treatment plan.
We strive to give my best with sole goal to not only help your child live a joyful and fulfilled childhood but also have the same goal for overall family unit.
