Mental Health for Children and Teens
At Atrium Health, we understand the unique needs of children and adolescents struggling with mental health issues, and we’re here to offer support every step of the way.
Our compassionate team is dedicated to providing individualized evidenced-based treatment, focused on your child’s feelings, experiences and symptoms.
Whether it’s anxiety, depression or a more complex condition like bipolar disorder, our comprehensive services, including therapy and partial hospitalization, are tailored to help your child manage their condition and regain control of their life.
And, Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Children's Hospital for pediatric behavioral health.
Conditions treated
We specialize in treating a range of mental health conditions and symptoms, including:
- Adjustment issues: Difficulty coping with changes or stressful life events.
- Anxiety: Excessive worry, fear or nervousness that interferes with daily life.
- Attention and difficulty concentrating: Trouble focusing or paying attention, often seen in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Depression: Persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness or loss of interest in activities.
- Grief: Emotional distress and sadness after the loss of a loved one or a significant life change.
- Irritability: Easily becoming annoyed, frustrated or angry.
- Sadness: Feeling unhappy or down for an extended period.
We also treat the following conditions and symptoms through our acute inpatient hospitalization service, in addition to anxiety and depression:
- Psychosis: Experiencing a disconnect from reality, including seeing or hearing things that aren’t there (hallucinations) or having beliefs that aren’t based in reality (delusions).
- Thoughts of harming oneself or others: A serious concern that requires immediate attention and mental health support.
- Trauma symptoms may appear in response to a distressing or traumatic event and can include behavioral changes, emotional distress, sleep disturbances, withdrawal from activities and regression in behavior.
Services
We offer the broadest range of pediatric mental health services in the Southeast, including:
-
Individual therapy (Talk therapy)
This form of therapy creates a safe space to explore and express thoughts, feelings and experiences. Therapists may teach relaxation techniques, problem-solving skills or ways to regulate emotions.
-
Group therapy
Your child will connect with others facing similar experiences and challenges. They can offer and receive support, validation and encouragement in an understanding environment.
-
Family therapy
With a therapist’s guidance, family members can express their thoughts, feelings and concerns openly, leading to a deeper understanding and conflict resolution.
-
School-based therapy
If your child’s school is involved in our program, they can access mental health care in their familiar school environment. They can share their thoughts and feelings with a therapist, who provides guidance and coping strategies to help them manage their emotions and improve their mental health.
-
Medication management
We oversee and adjust medications to ensure they effectively improve symptoms and promote well-being.
-
Partial hospitalization
If your child is dealing with severe mental health issues, they can receive intensive psychiatric services 5 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at our partial hospitalization program.
-
Acute inpatient hospitalization
This level of care involves short-term admission to our 22-bed, specialized psychiatric unit, where children and teens receive intensive therapeutic treatment and 24-hour supervision in a secure environment. Our multidisciplinary team collaborates closely with you and your child to stabilize symptoms and develop a discharge plan aimed at helping them return to the community.
-
Recreational therapy (Part of acute inpatient and partial hospitalization treatments)
We use fun and engaging therapeutic activities to help children feel better emotionally and learn new ways to cope with challenges. We provide group and 1-on-1 sessions.