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SLBMI
Child and Adolescent Services>>
How We Can help
How
We Can help
St.
Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute believes effective
treatment begins with a careful assessment of the needs
and strengths of the individual, as well as understanding
the familial and social context in which the child lives.
Our goal is to gain an appreciation for the unique characteristics
of the child in order to design an individualized treatment
plan.
It
is expected that parents and guardians will be actively
involved in treatment during all stages of treatment.
The extent and nature of involvement will depend upon
the age of the child and the nature of the disorder
being treated. The younger the child, the more parents
will be expected to be active participants. Parents
can provide extremely useful information about their
child's needs at the start of treatment. Parents can
often notice progress that is being made in the child's
daily life that will help guide therapy.
Outpatient
Therapy
Most
of the time treatment in conducted on an outpatient
basis. The youth will meet regularly with a therapist.
Usually, therapy occurs every week or two. How frequently
will depend upon the needs of the child. Rarely, the
child will see a therapist a couple of times a week.
Treatment will include a combination of individual therapy
and family therapy. In individual therapy, the youth
meets alone with the therapist. In family therapy, the
youth and members of their family will consult with
the therapist about how to achieve the agreed upon treatment
goals.
Intensive
Outpatient Treatment
Sometimes
individuals need more intensive treatment than weekly
outpatient treatment, but may not be so impaired that
they need to be in the hospital. This can be a very
effective and less expensive way to treat more severe
disorders. The Institute is able to offer more intensive
treatment for youth with anxiety disorders and eating
disorders. For childhood anxiety
disorders up to six hours of treatment a day, 6
days is a week is possible. For youth with eating disorders,
an Eating
Disorders Intensive Outpatient Program is available
which offers three hours of treatment five days a week.
During
intensive treatment, youth are expected to continue
to work with their therapist. Usually the youth has
two psychotherapy sessions a week, which would also
include any family therapy.
Treatment
Options
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