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Anxiety and mood disorders are among the most common mental health problems affecting children and teenagers. These conditions are highly treatable, yet many children do not get the care they need.
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Setting up an intake phone call is the first step to accessing care with a Child Study Center provider.
Learn MoreAt the Anita Saltz Institute for Anxiety and Mood Disorders at the Child Study Center, our mental health experts assess your child’s behavior and emotions, and tailor a treatment plan to their needs.
Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety, selective mutism, specific phobias, tics and Tourette disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Mood disorders include depression, bipolar disorder, persistent depressive disorder, and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.
The Child Study Center, part of Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, offers a variety of specialized treatment programs, including the following.
Behavioral activation for depression is grounded in cognitive behavior therapy. It emphasizes the principles of behavioral activation, which highlight the powerful role our actions take in causing or maintaining depression. We aim to help teens recognize unhelpful patterns that are used to manage negative moods, including avoiding or withdrawing from friends, family, activities, and other responsibilities. After these patterns are understood, teens are supported as they make changes and to re-engage in their lives in a way that creates more positive outcomes.
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a short-term treatment for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders that is usually offered once a week for three to five months. The goal of this approach is to ease symptoms by changing beliefs that cause the anxiety.
A specially trained therapist helps your child change unwanted feelings or behaviors by teaching them how to respond differently in certain situations. As your child is gradually exposed to images or situations that promote anxiety, they learn to avoid compulsive behaviors that may result from the trigger.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment option for teens dealing with suicidal thoughts, self-injuring behaviors, substance abuse, impulsivity, and difficulty regulating emotions, as well as those who engage in frequent and intense conflict with peers and adults.
Treatment includes individual therapy, phone coaching to help patients better regulate their emotions in real time, and a multi-family skills group, which includes multiple sets of teens and their caregivers. Participants learn a variety of skills, including how to be more mindful and aware of ways to regulate emotion, better tolerate distress, build meaningful relationships, and manage conflict.
Through group treatment, children, adolescents, and young adults learn to confront their fears and worries. They practice new skills in a real-world environment through fun and engaging exposures out and around New York City.
Our cognitive behavioral social phobia group called BOOST: Bringing Out Our Shy Teens is offered to teenagers experiencing shyness and social anxiety. The program lasts 14 to 16 weeks.
We work with children and teens who refuse to go to school or have difficulty remaining in class the entire day. Treatment often includes cognitive behavioral therapy, DBT, and acceptance and commitment therapy.
We develop intensive treatment plans for children with anxiety, OCD, and phobias. Research has shown that increased frequency and length of sessions can be effective in achieving progress and reducing symptoms of anxiety.
Interpersonal psychotherapy reduces symptoms of depression by increasing social support and improving your child’s ability to manage his or her situation. The therapist figures out what triggers your child’s depression and then helps your child develop skills that can improve his or her ability to manage and improve interactions with others.
We host a series of four workshops for parents who have anxious children. During the sessions, you develop a better understanding of childhood anxiety and learn strategies to help your child cope with his or her fear.
As leaders in research for conditions affecting children’s development and mental health, we identify, develop, and evaluate evidence-based treatment to improve patient outcomes. Investigators at the Child Study Center conduct research studies to learn the cause of anxiety and mood disorders in children and to predict youth suicide risk.
To make an appointment, please schedule an intake screening call.