You know your child best and their mental health matters. We partner with you to support your child or teen, helping them grow, thrive and feel their best. From anxiety and depression to ADHD and autism we provide guidance and care every step of the way.
Mindful of kids and their behavioral health
Your child’s mental and emotional health shapes how they think, feel and act. When challenges like anxiety, depression, ADHD or autism arise, they can affect not just your child but your family, their school experience and their future. Understanding these challenges is the first step in helping your child thrive.
We take a team approach, working with specialists across Tufts Medicine, including pediatrics and neurology, to provide the best possible care. You are included in therapy and treatment so you have the guidance, tools and support to help your child at home and feel confident in their progress.
We also partner with schools, educators and the wider community to make sure everyone involved understands the importance of mental health. By working together, we create a supportive environment that helps your child build confidence, resilience and the skills they need to succeed.
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Conditions
Every child and teen is unique, and sometimes they face challenges that affect how they think, feel or act. You know your child best, and our job is to help you understand what’s going on and provide the support they need to thrive. We start care in a kid- and teen-friendly environment, with a thorough evaluation that looks at emotional, cognitive and behavioral health. By understanding your child’s needs, we can work together to create a plan that helps them succeed at home, at school and in daily life.
We provide care for a wide range of concerns, including:
- ADD and ADHD: Trouble focusing, sitting still and controlling impulses
- Autism spectrum disorder: Challenges with communication, social skills and behavior
- Depression: Persistent sadness or loss of interest in activities
- Developmental disabilities: Delays or differences in learning, thinking or daily skills
- Eating disorders: Struggles with food, eating habits or body image
- Learning disabilities: Difficulties with reading, writing, math or schoolwork
- Medical illness: Health issues that affect mood, behavior or learning
- Mood disorders: Emotional ups and downs that affect daily life
- Stress: Difficulty coping with everyday pressures
- Trauma: Responses to upsetting or frightening experiences
Testing
Understanding your child’s mental and emotional health starts with a thorough evaluation. We begin with conversations with you and your child to learn about development, medical history, school performance and any changes in behavior. We may also use questionnaires or checklists to assess mood, attention, behavior and social skills. Observations in different settings can also help us get a complete picture.
Testing helps us understand your child’s strengths and challenges and identify the root of any difficulties. It guides therapy, interventions and any need for medication, and helps create a clear plan for supporting your child at home, at school and in daily life.
Parents play a key role in the process. Your insights about your child’s daily life and experiences help shape the evaluation. After testing, we explain the results in clear, easy-to-understand language and work with you to create a plan tailored to your child’s needs, so you feel confident in the next steps.
Treatments
We want your child or teen to feel confident in themselves and learn ways to manage stress and other challenges that affect their mental health. We do this in a warm, welcoming environment designed just for children and adolescents.
Treatment may include a combination of therapy, medication and other support, depending on your child’s needs. We provide care for a wide range of concerns, including:
- Mood and anxiety disorders: Helping children and teens manage feelings of sadness, worry or stress
- Psychotherapy: Individual, group or family therapy to build coping skills and emotional resilience
- Trauma: Support for children and teens who have experienced difficult or upsetting events
- Clinical neuropsychology: Evaluations and strategies for learning, attention and cognitive challenges
- College learning disorders: Guidance and support for older teens preparing for higher education
- Foster care, adoption and international trauma: Specialized care for children who have experienced unique life circumstances
We involve parents in every step of care so families have the guidance and tools to support their child at home, at school and in daily life. Our goal is to help children and teens thrive emotionally, socially and academically.
Child trauma
No two children will react the same way to a traumatic experience. Our team is experienced in assessing and treating psychological problems that may be connected to or caused by trauma. We recognize that anxiety, depression, mood swings, behavioral issues, phobias and other symptoms can manifest in children who have gone through trauma.
If your child is struggling with the effects of abuse, bullying, divorce, death, an accident or another traumatic experience, we will collaborate with your family to provide support and guidance for all of you to manage the situation together.
College learning disorders + ADHD
Having a learning disorder or ADHD while in college could make college harder. Learning disorders are usually diagnosed in elementary and middle school, but some aren't detected until adulthood. Regardless of your age, it's never too late to seek help.
Clinical neuropsychology
Clinical neuropsychology can identify connections between brain and behavior. We aim to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, diagnose neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders, and plan and implement intervention strategies.
We evaluate such concerns as:
- Autism
- Attention and learning disorders
- Psychiatric disorders
- Head injury and sports concussions
- Brain tumors
- Medical illness
- Genetic and metabolic disorders
- Effects of Infectious Disease
We work closely with doctors from different fields such as pediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, cardiology, nephrology, metabolism and genetics, and general medicine to better understand how different factors affect brain function and treatment options.
Mood + anxiety disorders
It can be hard for parents to tell if their child or teenager struggles with a mood or anxiety disorder. It might be a change in behavior, like being aggressive or acting out, but it can be tough to figure out what's really going on.
Our services go beyond just diagnosing the problem. While medication is an option, we usually suggest combining treatments, like cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy and individual therapy. We understand that mood and anxiety disorders can affect the whole family, so we offer family therapy and keep parents involved every step of the way.
Autism + developmental disability
If your child has autism spectrum disorder, they may need extra support, especially if they experience other behavioral and psychiatric issues. We want to ensure you have all you need to manage these challenges and emotions related to autism, Asperger's syndrome, and other disorders within the autism spectrum. Our developmental-behavioral pediatrics supports infants, children and adolescents with developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions.
Child + adolescent psychotherapy
We understand that a child's behavioral health issues affect them and their family too. We understand how depression, anxiety, adjustment problems and other conditions can impact siblings and parents too.
We consider everyone's concerns and whether your child is dealing with a mental health problem, a family issue or both. We're committed to supporting you and your family every step of the way.
Foster care + adoption trauma
We're here to help kids who've been adopted or are in foster care, including those who were adopted from other countries. We know that these children may face challenges due to their past experiences of abuse, neglect or other disruptions that can affect their emotional and behavioral well-being. Our aim is to support their unique needs, including exploring their birth family and cultural heritage, making friends and feeling like they belong. We want them to feel connected and cared for.
Our locations
From regular office visits to inpatient stays, find the healthcare you need and deserve close to home.
Our doctors + care team
Meet the doctors and care team devoted to supporting you every step of the way along your path to better health.