Mumsnetters aren't necessarily qualified to help if your child is unwell. If you need professional help, please contact your GP or local mental health support services.
Mumsnetters aren't necessarily qualified to help if your child is unwell. If you need professional help, please contact your GP or local mental health support services.
Child mental health
Questions re CAMHS in Manchester - what other services available?
g00denoughmum · 26/02/2013 11:15
Hi - some advice would be welcomed - thanks in anticipation
My DD (8) has been referred by our GP for CAMHS assessment. We live in Manchester.
There is definitely something going on with her and probably a combination of inherited stuff, attachment issues re her life history, and what's going on right now at home. Will CAMHS be able to distinguish between all of these, how does the assessment work? For eg if there is mild ADHD / Autism alongside attachment issues can they distnguish between them?
And what are the choices re what comes next?
Also do we get a chance to give them information without her present - there's stuff we don't want her to know about yet but is relevant (eg strong history of depression / suicidal behaviour on one side of the family, also stuff that she's done that I don't want to drag up in front of her with someone she doesn't yet know and trust)
Finally are Manchester good at CAMHS and what else might be on offer (for free - we don't have money for paid therapy sadly)
Am so worried about making things worse not better or being sent for inappropriate treatment...
guineapiglet · 26/02/2013 15:25
Hi - we lived not far from you in Cheshire East area, and had a brilliant experience with local CAMHS - my daughter started with them when she was in Year 10 and we received 2 years' excellent support, so I hope the services available in Manchester will be just as good. The counsellor may well be willing to talk to you separately, you may have to discuss this prior to the interview. They do stress however that it is the child who is their client, and largely I sat in with her with very little input, the focus is very much on getting them to talk and build up a rapport with the child. However it sounds as if there are significant background issues and concerns you have which are very pertinent, and maybe you could write these down for your counsellor to consider prior to the formal sessions. We had an initial scoping appointment where an assessor came to talk about the reasons for CAMHS and why we had been referred etc.
Good luck! They are very professional and really knew their stuff, so hopefully all will get sorted out and the appropriate help given.
mindfulmum · 28/02/2013 01:17
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Message withdrawn at poster's request.
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