Warning Sign/If you think your child needs help
Concern about a child's behavior or feelings?
Are you concerned about your child's behavior or feelings? Here are some answers to basic questions
Does Your Child Have a Mental Health Disorder?
Does your child need help? Here are some guidelines and tips to help you sort out what's normal and when you might want to seek out advice from your child's doctor or a mental health professional.
Checklist for Preliminary Mental Health Screen
The schoolpsychiatry.org was created for parents, educators, clinicians and clinicians-in-training to identify and support the needs of children and adolescents with mental health conditions. When these needs are understood and properly supported, life at school, at home, and with peers can improve dramatically.
What information should I take to the Doctor?
Talking to the doctor: Tips about how to communicate with your child's doctor about your concerns: Communicating With Your Doctor (video) Be sure to ask your doctor to check for physical illnesses that might cause the same or similar symptoms before a referral for mental health screening is made.
Communicating With Your Child's Teacher
One of the best ways that parents can help their children succeed in school is to be involved with their education. This starts with communicating well with your child's teacher. Basically, good communication involves meeting with the teacher, being a positive and courteous partner in your child's learning, and keeping the lines of communication open in various ways throughout the year.
American Academy of Pediatrics The AAP provides a broad range of education and training activities. The education and training programs provided are high quality, relevant, and accessible.
Office of Prevention and Early Intervention (OPEI)
Promoting safe and healthy children, nurturing families and building strong communities is what the Office of Prevention and Early Intervention (OPEI) is all about. As a first step in the fight against at-risk children opening a door from which they cannot return, OPEI works with children, youth, families, communities, schools and more to provide activities for children and youth to prevent child abuse, dependency, neglect, juvenile delinquency, mental health disorders, and tobacco, drugs and alcohol abuse.
Forms and Brochures
How to Access Mental Health Services
This is a general reference that can be used to explain what steps to take to access mental health and substance abuse services for your child. It explains what to do in an emergency, a non-emergency, when you have insurance questions, and how to apply for Disabled Child's Medicaid, a type of insurance that is based on the child's diagnosis (Axis I and some Axis II diagnoses) and the child's income - NOT THE PARENTS' INCOME - so this is a way of getting benefits that one's private insurance does not cover.
Division of Child Mental Health Homepage
This is the homepage for the division of Child Mental Health Services. On this page you will find who Child Mental Health serves, how they can help you, how they work with you, and a list of their contracted Outpatient Providers which one can call directly if a child is in need of outpatient counseling. Child Mental Health brochures in both English and Spanish are listed here: Child Mental Health Brochure and Child Mental Health Brochure (Spanish)
Child Mental Health Outpatient Providers
This is the list of Outpatient Providers that are contracted by Child Mental Health. They can be called directly. These providers also serve children with Medicaid and children who are uninsured.
Child Mental Health Referral Form
This form is to be filled out for children who are eligible to receive mental health services from Child Mental Health and might need more than once a week outpatient counseling. If the child is not currently receiving outpatient counseling and meets the eligibility requirements for Child Mental Health (found on the referral form guide or CMH brochure), you can contact the Outpatient Providers contracted by Child Mental Health directly or look on the back of your insurance card and contact the member services number for mental health .
CMH Program Descriptions
This page describes the different levels of care that are provided by Child Mental Health and other mental health providers.
Child Well-Being Initiative
The Child Wellbeing Initiative is a treatment program and research study for youth in Delaware who are experiencing emotional difficulties following a stressful experience. Children and caregivers meet with trained clinicians for 12 to 16 sessions over a 3 to 4 month period. Sessions are used to teach families about symptoms of trauma, ways to cope with difficult thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and skills for relaxation. DCMHS oversees the study. The program serves children ages 7-17. The brochure and the permission to contact form are beneath. Contact (302) 633-2695
Child Well-Being Initiative (Brochure)
Permission to Contact Form
Glossaries, information on mental illnesses and counseling, videos and other helpful sites:
Mental health glossary
This glossary contains terms frequently used when referring to the mental health needs of children and adolescents. The list is alphabetical. Words in italics are defined separately within the glossary. Since the words service and services are used frequently throughout the glossary, it may be helpful to begin by reading the definition for service.
Substance Abuse Glossary
This is a glossary provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
AACAP (Mental Health Disorders)
An Alphabetical list of quick facts on Mental Health Disorders specially designed for Families from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).
SAMHSA (Mental Health Disorders)
Quick Facts on Mental Health Disorders from The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Mental Health Videos
This site provides informative videos regarding mental health and other health related concerns. Here are some other videos below:
Additional Mental Health Videos
Here are some additional vides that can assist with the understanding of mental health related concerns.
Family Psycho-Educational Manual/Web site
This web site was designed to provide practical and useful information to help families with coping and finding resources. The information on this web site is to provide education and should not be considered as a replacement for counseling with mental health, school, or medical professionals.
Participating in Counseling with your child
This guide can assist parents with what role they can play in getting their child the help they need.
Child Mental Health Advocacy
This site will assist individuals with finding services for their child
UCLA School Mental Health Project "provides education leaders with meaningful and ongoing learning opportunities around planning and implementing improved policies, practices, and systems for addressing barriers to learning and teaching."
Finding a counselor, doctor or insurance for your child
Finding a Mental Health Provider for your child
This is a guide to assist parents and school personnel with the process of finding a therapist or mental health provider for a child who might be suffering from a mental health or substance abuse problem according to their insurance situation
Insurance Provider Search Engines
This page has links to provider search engines for various insurance companies throughout Delaware, including the three Managed Care Organizations for Medicaid.
Delaware Codes for Insurance Coverage for Serious Mental Illnesses
Medicaid Information
Information on how to apply for Medicaid, Disabled child Medicaid, and how to get advocacy, low cost health insurance for people who don't qualify for Medicaid and other helpful information
Information about medications
Psychiatric Medication For Children And Adolescents
Medication can be an effective part of the treatment for several psychiatric disorders of childhood and adolescence. A doctor's recommendation to use medication often raises many concerns and questions in both the parents and the youngster. The physician who recommends medication should be experienced in treating psychiatric illnesses in children and adolescents. He or she should fully explain the reasons for medication use, what benefits the medication should provide, as well as possible risks and side effects and other treatment alternatives.
Mental Health Medications Index & Information
The information you will find here is meant as a guide to better inform you. Most medications have side effects, and if any of these concern you please talk this over with your doctor.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REVIEW THE HEALTH/MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND TEACHERS SECTIONS OF THIS SITE!