Who we are
CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. We provide support and treatment for children, young people and their families who are experiencing mental health difficulties. We support children and young people aged 0-18 (24 if they have been in the care system) who are experiencing psychological distress and need support with their mental health.
The CAMHS team includes mental health nurses, social workers, assistant practitioners, psychologists, consultant psychiatrists and administrators. We also have peer support workers in each team; these are workers who have had experience of mental health difficulties and accessed CAMHS themselves.
CAMHS Teams
Core CAMHS Team
Core CAMHS is a team of trained Mental Health Practitioners and Assistant Practitioners from various clinical backgrounds including Mental Health Nurses, Social Workers, Psychologists and Psychiatrists.
This is the team you would usually see on your first visit to CAMHS.This team works with children, young people, parents & carers to assess the mental health of children and adolescents who have been identified as potentially having moderate to severe mental health needs.
To learn more about what to expect at your first appointment, please click HERE
Crisis & Home Treatment Team
This team offers support for children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis. This includes those experiencing intense thoughts of suicide and are at risk of acting on these thoughts
CAMHS Eating Disorder Team
This team works with children and young people presenting with an eating disorder such as Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia
CAMHS Learning Disabilities Team
This team works with children and young people who are diagnosed with moderate to severe learning disabilities.
Ash Villa
Ash Villa is a inpatient unit for young people aged 13 to 18, who are experiencing complex mental health difficulties and cannot be kept safe in the community.
When is CAMHS appropriate?
If your child/young person is experiencing difficulties with their mental health that has not improved despite support from another professional or service, CAMHS may be able to help. If your child is experiencing significant psychological distress that places them at risk of signifcantly harming themselves, our CAMHS Crisis & Home Treatment Team may also be able to help.
If your child has accessed support from another service (such as Healthy Minds or counsellor within school) but you are still concerned about their mental health and would like to speak to a CAMHS professional to see whether a referral to CAMHS would be suitable, you are now able to ring our CAMHS Advice Line on 01522 309120. Please note, if you are a parent/carer ringing to refer your child/young person, you need to have Parental Responsibility in order to make this referral.
What we can help with
If a referral to CAMHS has been accepted, you and your child will be invited to an assessment appointment. To learn more about what happens in this appointment, check out our 'My First Appointment" page.
If it is agreed in this appointment that CAMHS is the right service to help, your clinican will discuss treatment options with you. CAMHS offers a wide range of evidence based treatments for a variety of conditions and presentations. These pathways are informed by NICE guidelines, ensuring we are providing the safest, most effective treatment possible. Treatment Pathways include
- Depression
- General anxiety
- Specific anxiety (such as obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety)
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Self-harm
- Attachment disorder
- Harmful sexual behaviour
- Psychosis
- Forensic psychology assessments
Our bases
Check out our Contact Us page to see where we are based across the county.
Our groups for parents
Our groups are not parenting course. We are not here to dictate or judge how you bring up your child or children.
When this intervention is suggested, most parents want to know why we are not working directly with the child. Research suggests that for some preesntations, it is more beneficial for us to work with parents than directly with the child themselves. We want to empower you by teaching you skills to support your child needs and act as a “co-therapist”.
One of the benefits of being in a group with other parents is the shared experience and the opportunity to learn from each other. We aim to help you feel supported and understood, with plenty of time for discussion.
“The most useful part of the group was the interaction and discussion between all members of that group and this transfer of best practice for individual situations- also the space given to think up new strategies together.”
“Genuinely all of the group was extremely useful- particularly speaking to other parents going through the same emotions and similar experiences.”
