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
How soon after starting medication do children start talking therapy under Cahms?
G0taCana1 · 20/09/2020 18:47
My son started Fluoxetine 5 weeks ago, little progress and still no talking therapy.
Trying to be patient.😬
Noregrets78 · 21/09/2020 16:51
Hi - if he's been prescribed by CAMHS then should be having regular reviews to see how he's getting with it - is he having those?
They should be able to let you know what the forward plan is. My DD has group therapy first with CAMHS although there was a waiting list. And of course those may not be running due to COVID... but if he's on medication he really should be getting talking therapy as well.
G0taCana1 · 21/09/2020 17:08
He has had his CAMHs worker ringing me to see how he is a couple of times a week and trying to speak to him with varying degrees of success.So yes I’m thinking these calls must be reviews.
Is that talking therapy? I see NICE guidelines say they should have both if on meds and she has said this is the start.
Got another psychiatrist appointment soon so will try to find out more. Can’t find out from anywhere normal procedure.
Meds have proved disappointing( v small improvement with dips back to square 1)although maybe 5 weeks is still early. Just wondering if unpicking his thoughts would help with the meds.I’m new to all this and really want him better so want to give meds the best chance iykwim. I’m guessing he maybe needs to be in best state to make use of any talking therapy.
Noregrets78 · 21/09/2020 17:45
There's a real difference between checking on how he is and talking therapy... the buzz word seems to be 'therapeutic' - ask if these calls are intended to be therapeutic or not. There's always waiting lists for talking therapy (which may or may not be with his case worker), so the fact they haven't mention it to you may mean he's not on a list yet. I'd ask what the plan is with regards therapy, the outcomes are much better if they have both, not just medication.
You could line up a counsellor privately while you wait? They won't want any overlap, so there should only be one therapy at a time. But you could get one while you wait. Some are reasonable eg Relate does child counselling for £25 a session from memory. There's lots of charities too.
Good luck 
G0taCana1 · 21/09/2020 17:59
Thank you that is useful. So what is the norm? Do they normally have talking therapy in the first 6 weeks?
He has a new case worker soon so maybe she’ll be doing something with him. Have next to nothing in writing so know very little. Just keeps being mentioned as something in the future. Think they’re hoping to work out what type would be better maybe as not sure exactly sure where some of his thought processes are coming from.
Noregrets78 · 21/09/2020 20:14
I'm not sure as my DD was already having talking therapy when she started on medication. Certainly until lockdown, in my area, they always offered group therapy first. Eg low mood group, or anxiety group. Each course was 6 weeks, so it would be 6 or 12 + weeks depending on how long the list was, and how many weeks into the current course they were. Presumably lockdown has affected the groups, but CAMHS really ought to have something in place instead eg phone therapy.
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