A team of highly skilled doctoral – and masters–level specialists in psychiatry, psychology, and neuropsychology are available to provide a wide range of services carefully designed and planned to meet the unique needs of each of our clients.

Neuropsychological Evalution and Treatment For Children

We believe that neuropsychological testing is particularly valuable in children. Due to the difficulty in diagnosing children and the importance of having a comprehensive picture of a child's emotional and cognitive strengths and weaknesses to help guide treatment options. Special program designed for children include:

• Innovative diagnostic procedures using rEEG and Quantitative EEG.
• Care and specialty services specifically designed for children.
• Neuropsychological Evaluation
• Individual and family therapy
• Neurofeedback

Sometimes, it's not as clear what's caused a child to suddenly seem withdrawn, worried, stress, sulky, or tearful. But if you feel your child might have an emotional or behavioral problem or needs help coping, trust your instincts.

Signs that a child may benefit from seeing a psychologist and/or psychiatrist include:

• Learning or attention problems (such as ADHD)
• Behavioral problems (such as excessive anger, acting out, bedwetting or eating disorders)
• A significant drop in grades, particularly if your child normally maintains high grades
• Episodes of sadness, tearfulness, or depression
• Social withdrawal or isolation
• Being the victim of bullying or bullying other children
• Decreased interest in previously enjoyed activities
• Overly aggressive behavior (such as biting, kicking, or hitting)
• Sudden changes in appetite (particularly in adolescents)
• Insomnia or increased sleepiness
• Excessive school absenteeism or tardiness
• Mood swings (e.g., happy one minute, upset the next)
• Development of or an increase in physical complaints (such as headache, stomachache, or not feeling well) despite a normal physical exam by your doctor
• Management of a serious, acute, or chronic illness
• Signs of alcohol, drug, or other substance use (such as solvents or prescription drug abuse)
• Problems in transitions (following separation, divorce, or relocation)
• Bereavement issues
• Custody evaluations
• Therapy following sexual, physical, or emotional abuse or other traumatic events

At Mind Therapy Clinic, we will work with you to evaluate your child's problems through clinical interviews. This involves observing your child and performing neurological evaluations to assess attention problems and learning disabilities using state of the art imaging technologies to diagnose and guide treatments. Because Mind Therapy Clinic works in teams with experts in multiple fields, specialists are able to handle clients in multi-factorial way. For example, if a child has psychiatric and drug abuse problems, experts specializing in each field will work together for appropriate medication and treatment. A case manager is assigned to each client to ensure beginning to end continuity in care.

Questions and Answers

Q: How do I know if my child's problems are serious?

A: Many everyday stresses cause changes in behavior. It is important to recognize such behavior changes, but also to differentiate them from signs of more serious problems. Problems deserve attention when they are severe, persistent, and impact on daily activities. Seek help for your child if you observe problems such as changes in appetite or sleep, social withdrawal, or fearfulness; behavior that seems to slip back to an earlier phase such as bed-wetting; signs of distress such as sadness or tearfulness; self-destructive behavior such as head banging; or a tendency to have frequent injuries. In addition, it is essential to review the development of your child, any important medical problem he/she might have had, family history of mental disorders, as well as physical and psychological traumas or situations that may cause stress.

Q: How are mental disorders diagnosed in young children?

A: Similar to adults, disorders are diagnosed by observing signs and symptoms. Signs and symptoms are considered in the context of the child's developmental level, social and physical environment, and reports from parents and other caretakers or teachers, and an assessment will be made according to criteria established by experts. Very young children often cannot express their thoughts and feelings, which makes diagnosis a challenging task. The signs of a mental disorder in a young child may be quite different from those of an older child or an adult. Mind Therapy Clinic specializes in areas requiring more objective diagnosis. By using latest techniques using imaging technologies, clinicians are trained to evaluate brain wave images. These evaluations are used to diagnose and guide medication and treatment in conjunction with criteria established by experts.

Q: Won't my child get better with time?

A: Sometimes yes, but in other cases children need professional help. Problems that are severe, persistent, and impact on daily activities should be brought to the attention of a professional. Great care should be taken to help a child who is suffering, because mental, behavioral, or emotional disorders can affect the way the child grows up.

Q: Are there situations in which it is advisable to use medications in young children?

A: Medications may be prescribed for young children with mental, behavioral, or emotional symptoms when the potential benefits of treatment outweigh the risks. Some problems are so severe and persistent that they would have serious negative consequences for the child if untreated and psychosocial interventions may not always be effective by themselves. Mind Therapy Clinic specializes in innovative technologies to evaluate the need and choice of psychiatric medications, particularly in children who haven't responded well to other medication treatments. Alternative to medication is also available such as neurofeedback, a type of biofeedback* that uses electroencephalography** to provide a signal that can be used by a person to receive feedback about brain activity.

*Biofeedback is the process of becoming aware of various physical functions using instruments that provide information on the activity of those same systems, with a goal of being able to manipulate them at will.

**Electroencephalography (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain. In clinical contexts, EEG refers to the recording of the brain's spontaneous electrical activity over a short period of time, usually 20-40 minutes, as recorded from multiple electrodes placed on the scalp.

Q: How should medication be included in an overall treatment plan?

A: When medication is used, it should not be the only strategy. There are other services that you may want to investigate for your child. Family support services, educational classes, behavior management techniques, as well as family therapy and other approaches should be considered. If medication is prescribed, it should be monitored and evaluated regularly.

Find out how Mind Therapy Clinic can help