What Is Behavioral Health Counseling?

Is your child displaying disturbing or worrisome behaviors? 

All kids will throw temper tantrums, be unbelievably fidgety or bouncing-of-the-walls rambunctious at times; however, when a child’s behaviors cause problems at home, school, social settings or all of the above, you may want to turn to our Clarkston, Smyrna and Lithonia GA, pediatricians for a behavioral health assessment.

When should I see a pediatrician about my child’s behaviors? 

Behavioral health issues can impact everything from a child’s ability to learn and socialize to being able to regulate intense emotions. This can lead to issues with everyday functioning, whether at home or school. While some of these difficulties are just part of growing up, it is important to turn to our Clarkston, Smyrna and Lithonia GA, pediatricians if your child is experiencing,

• Changes in eating and sleeping habits
• Lack of interest in socializing or withdrawing from others
• Extreme irritability
• Outbursts
• Drastic mood swings, or personality and behavioral changes
• Trouble concentrating
• Skipping school
• Self-harm or is harming others
• Intense feelings of sadness or anxiety that last more than two weeks

It’s important to seek help for your child’s behavioral and emotional issues to help them lead healthier lives. A pediatrician is often one of the first medical professionals parents turn to when their child is displaying distressing emotional and behavioral issues.

What is a behavioral health assessment? 

Whether you are concerned that your child might have ADHD, depression or autism spectrum disorder, our pediatric team can provide you with the necessary behavioral assessments and screenings to evaluate your child’s symptoms and behaviors. Along with certain screening tools and assessments, we may also request interviews with parents, teachers and others in your child’s life who have observed these behaviors.

Once we have a diagnosis, we can provide your child with ongoing symptom management, medications and support. While our pediatricians do not provide therapy and counseling themselves, they can provide a referral to a child or adolescent psychologist in the Clarkston, Smyrna or Lithonia, GA, area that can provide ongoing therapy to improve mental health problems.

For more than 20 years, our pediatricians at Decatur Pediatric Group have been serving the Clarkston, Smyrna and Lithonia GA, communities. To schedule a behavioral assessment with our team of professionals, call us today at (404) 296-7133.