Located within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Boston Children’s Hospital, our Psychiatry Consultation Service provides expert mental health and counseling support for children, parents, and other family members confronting the strain of chronic illness and hospitalization.
When a child is admitted to Boston Children’s for a medical condition, feelings of anxiety, sadness, stress, fear, and even anger are common for both the patient and the family. Boston Children’s is a renowned leader in all aspects of child and adolescent psychiatry. Our experienced clinicians deliver compassionate, family centered care that always treats your child as an individual, first and foremost.
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Our expertise
During a busy medical admission, it is important not to overlook signs of psychological stress — or to miss more serious mental health issues that might be impacting the entire family. Our Psychiatry Consultation Service clinicians are specially trained to recognize symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric conditions in patients admitted to the hospital. Our clinicians will involve you and your child in every stage of treatment planning, providing guidance, psychoeducation, and recommendations at each step along the way.
The Psychiatry Consultation Service at Boston Children’s Hospital operates entirely on an internal referral basis. We respond to consultation requests from members of a child’s medical or surgical team.
Parents and guardians of admitted patients can request a consult with the Psychiatry Consultation Service, but this request must first be approved by the child’s attending physician.
All of the patients we treat have been admitted as inpatients to Boston Children’s Hospital. We are only able to provide services for patients currently admitted to one of our medical or surgical floors. If continuing mental health services would be helpful after a child is discharged from a medical floor, we will connect the family with our colleagues in Boston Children’s Hospital Outpatient Psychiatry Service or provide referrals for other community providers closer to home.
