When adolescents’ and children’s mental health is on the line, the services used to support them must be grounded in evidence-based practice. But with so many treatments, therapies, and interventions being offered, it can be confusing for parents and caregivers to find the options that best support mental health for kids.
Finding effective children’s mental health services in Florida shouldn’t have to be hard. This guide is designed to help your family find the right services for your needs and make it easier for your children to navigate the landscape of mental health treatment in Florida.
Need more personalized information? Find an Elite DNA location near you to find one-on-one support.
Common Mental Health Challenges for Children
Your child’s mental health is an important component of their overall health and well-being. Children who experience mental health conditions at younger ages face undue stress, can fall behind academically, and may miss important developmental milestones that set them up for success as adults.
Childhood mental health disorders are more common than most people expect. According to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood mental disorders between the ages of 3-17 are estimated to affect:
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): 9.8% or 6 million children
- Anxiety: 9.4% or 5.8 million children
- Depression: 4.4% or 2.7 million children
- Behavior Problems: 8.9% or 5.5 million children
The likelihood of a child experiencing a mental health disorder typically increases with age. Depression and anxiety disorders, for instance, tend to affect teens at higher rates than children. Behavior disorders, on the other hand, tend to peak in prevalence between the ages of 6-11.
Left untreated, childhood mental disorders can lead to serious disruption in your child’s everyday life. They can lead to sudden mood swings, uncomfortable physical and mental health symptoms, and make it difficult for your child to transition into a healthy adulthood.
Children’s Mental Health Treatment Options
Thankfully, there are several effective treatment approaches to help your child if they’re experiencing mental health challenges. Some of the most common and effective interventions include:
Children’s Psychiatric Care
Child and adolescent psychiatry is a medical approach to treating common mental health challenges. Psychiatry focuses on providing targeted medications to help with specific mental health conditions, such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety Disorders
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Children’s psychiatric care typically occurs in three distinct phases. The first is a comprehensive assessment and diagnosis process, which identifies your child’s key mental health challenges, family mental health history, and physical health status. From there, a psychiatrist or mental health professional prescribes specific medication interventions catered to your child’s unique mental health needs.
Prescribing medication isn’t the end of effective psychiatric care, however. The final stage of the psychiatric process is careful monitoring of your child’s progress. This stage can help to identify if the medication is working, if there are any undesirable side effects, or if adjusting medication dosage, timing, or type can provide better mental health outcomes.
Children’s Psychotherapy
Children’s psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, is a time-tested and evidence-based approach to helping improve mental health for teens and children. Psychotherapy for children can include individual therapy, group therapy, or family counseling formats, each designed to help kids and teens improve their ability to manage mental health symptoms and start paving the way toward recovery.
Children’s psychotherapy comes in many different modalities, or styles of treatment, each of which takes a unique approach to helping kids recover from common mental health conditions. Some of the most effective and evidence-based talk therapy approaches include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is based on the foundational understanding that thoughts, emotions, and behaviors all influence one another. By learning to recognize how distinct patterns of thinking can change the way your child feels and behaves, they can learn to modify these thoughts in ways that can dramatically improve their mental health outlook.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT was created from the foundations of CBT but incorporates elements of mindfulness and acceptance into treatment. Essentially, DBT recognizes that some thoughts or feelings are outside of your control, and rather than attempting to change them, you can learn to accept them without acting in unhealthy ways.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT focuses on helping children cultivate psychological flexibility, or the ability to adapt to life’s challenges. It can teach your child to become more resilient, develop stronger emotional tolerance, and improve their overall mood and sense of well-being.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing is a unique style of therapy that places the client at the heart of the treatment plan. Rather than a therapist telling your child what to do, motivational interviewing helps cultivate your child’s innate desire to overcome their emotional and mental challenges and build their own plan to achieve recovery. In this way, motivational interviewing is a highly effective approach for helping children who are resistant to authority.
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) for Children
Applied behavioral analysis is a technique used by mental health professionals to help address problematic behaviors in children. ABA is used to treat several different disorders, including:
- Behavioral Disorders
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Anxiety Disorders
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
ABA relies on a few key principles. First, the emphasis is always on providing positive reinforcement to children for desired behaviors, such as communication, self-control, and learning new skills. Second, ABA therapists work to connect negative behaviors with consequences, typically the removal of a reward.
As simple as this may sound, ABA is a highly effective and evidence-based intervention used for treating some common children’s mental health challenges. It can help your child develop stronger attention and focus skills, learn to communicate in healthier ways, and help them excel in school and social environments.
Occupational Therapy for Children
Occupational therapy is designed as a structured method of helping children with injury, pain, or disability to accomplish daily tasks in a way that works for them. It can help teach children with physical or mental barriers to complete tasks such as:
- Schoolwork
- Household Chores
- Physical Activities
- Hygiene
Occupational therapy for children helps them become more independent, rather than depending on you or other people to meet their basic needs.
Speech and Language Therapy for Kids
Children with communication challenges can benefit from speech and language therapy services offered by mental health professionals. Speech pathologists help children to cultivate communication skills, increase intelligibility, and improve language fluency.
Speech and language therapy for kids begins with a targeted assessment and diagnosis process. When your child’s specific communication challenges are identified, our team works to deliver targeted interventions and treatment options to help them overcome their challenges and function more effectively at home, in school, and in their communities.
Expert Treatment at Elite DNA
At Elite DNA, our team is dedicated to providing children and adolescents with the best possible mental health services in Florida. That means delivering evidence-based care, compassionate mental health support, family integration, and an emphasis on teaching applicable coping skills in an environment that inspires lasting recovery.
Looking for mental health support for your children, find an Elite DNA location near you to learn more about how we can help.
*The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images, and other material contained on this website is for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.