Home · Conditions · Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Medically reviewed by Jay Borrego, DNP, PMHNP-BC, CRNA · Updated September 2026
Common signs
Sound familiar?
✓ School says 'bright but struggling'
✓ Meltdowns, worry or withdrawal that's new
✓ Sleep, appetite or screen battles taking over
✓ Grades or friendships sliding
✓ You've been waitlisted everywhere else
✓ Your gut says something's off
Not a fit: A checklist is not a diagnosis — an evaluation is. If several of these fit, it's worth a conversation.
How we evaluate it
Unhurried evaluations with the parent present, collateral from teachers (with your consent), validated child-specific scales — and a bias toward the least medication that genuinely helps. Development, sleep, learning issues and family context are part of the picture, not noise.
How we evaluate it
Therapy-first where evidence says so; medication where it says that — always with growth, sleep and side-effect monitoring on a schedule. Parents leave every visit knowing the plan, and schools get actionable letters when you want them. Telehealth works remarkably well for teens.
Cost & insurance
Evaluations and follow-ups bill to our participating plans or transparent self-pay. Benefits verified and your expected cost reviewed before your first visit.
What measured care looks like
Vanderbilt tracked at every visit
The Vanderbilt parent/teacher rating is scored before each appointment, so improvement — or its absence — is visible early and the plan changes when the data says to. Illustrative course shown; individual results vary.
What's different here
The nine questions parents ask first
Ages: 6 and up. Who attends the first visit: the parent or guardian and the child, together, with part of teen visits one-on-one. From school: report cards, any teacher input or existing evaluations — we send Vanderbilt forms when needed. Parents: leave every visit knowing the plan. Teen confidentiality: explained on day one; safety concerns are always shared with parents. ADHD evaluation: yes. Stimulants: when indicated, with growth and cardiac monitoring. Telehealth: yes, and it works well for teens. Crisis: 988 or 911 first; then we see them urgently.
These are our actual policies, not aspirations.
Researching, not ready to book? Text us a question — a real person answers, no appointment, no pressure.
-Questions
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry questions
Only when it's clearly right. Many first plans are therapy, sleep and school accommodations — with medication held as a defined next step, not a default.
Part of every teen visit is one-on-one — and part includes you. Florida consent rules and our judgment both keep parents genuinely informed.
With your written permission, yes — evaluation summaries and accommodation letters that schools can act on.