What is CAMHS?
CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. We support children and young people aged 0-18 (and their families) with a wide range of mental health difficulties.
What is mental health?
Mental health is something we all have and just like physical health, sometimes in our lives we struggle with it. Sometimes we develop mental health problems, such as feeling very sad or worrying a lot. When this happens, our difficulties can stop us living our life in the way we want to.
Who goes to CAMHS?
Lots of children and young people go to CAMHS with a wide range of difficulties. So if you come to see us, you are not alone. Did you know around one in eight children and young people have a diagnosable mental health disorder? That's about three children in every classroom.
Who works at CAMHS?
Lots of different professionals work at CAMHS, so that we can help children and young people with a wide range of problems they may be experiencing. CAMHS teams are all different, but you may come across:
- Therapists
- Nurses
- Social Workers
- Occupational Therapists
- Psychiatrists
- Experts by Experience
- Psychologists
- Dietitians
- Reception and Admin staff
The Young Minds website does a good job of explaining what these different people do. Take a look!
Who will know what I tell you? (Confidentiality)
Any information you give to CAMHS should be kept private, unless you consent to it being shared with others. However, if there are concerns about your safety or the safety of someone else, confidentiality may be broken. Staff at CAMHS will always try to tell you if they need to share your information with anyone else.
How do I get an appointment at CAMHS?
If you feel you need a referral to the service for an assessment, there is a range of ways that you can request this. This might include you and/or your parent/carer speaking to a professional who can make a referral for you if they think it is the right thing to do. These professionals may include: your GP, school nurse, MAT/early help worker, social worker, school support staff. If a referral is made it will be considered by a group of professionals and you/your family will be updated after this. An assessment appointment will be arranged with you if this is agreed by the team. If CAMHS is not felt to be the most appropriate service for you, we will always try to signpost you elsewhere.
For more info about contacting CAMHS or getting support- see our ‘need help’ page.
What happens when I come for an assessment?
Lots of children and young people feel worried before coming to CAMHS because it is something new. On your first appointment, we like to get to know you a little better and we will ask you some questions so we can do this. You can ask us any questions you have too. If you want to, a family member or carer can come in with you - sometimes this can be helpful.
For more information about this, have a look at our 'Assessment Appointment' page. This includes videos that give you a tour of each of our CAMHS buildings, as well as answers to some common questions you might have. You can also watch a couple of videos made by another CAMHS about coming to the service.
There is a range of support available at CAMHS. Your care coordinator will discuss the different options with you and your family to help you decide the best type of support to meet your needs - this may include regular sessions with your care coordinator (to discuss how you are feeling and ways of coping), psychological therapies (e.g. CBT, DBT, family therapy etc) and/or medication.
