Has anyone paid for a psychiatric/ psychologist privately for their teen because you know Camhs won’t help with severe anxiety?

[ihatethecold]

My DD’s anxiety is getting progressively worse.
She is struggling at school and this has been going on for well over a year.
She starts her GCSE’s next school year but she is so stressed that she isn’t concentrating at school.
The Gp has diagnosed stress and anxiety and she has quite severe physical as well s mental symptoms.
We have been waiting months for her to have her assessment with Camhs.
I know they won’t help her because she isn’t suicidal/ self harming. If they do help her the waiting list is fine 18 months for Cbt.
An assessment will be expensive but I feel we need to do something because we are just living week to week and without proper help I can’t see how she will improve.

I have a bit of a good news story.
Last year DD 14 was refusing school, panic attacks , self harm. She couldn't even go to school accompanied by learning mentor for an hour at the back of her favourite lesson without panicking and cutting herself. It was dreadful.
I used to get phone calls from school all the time, on occasions they had to call an ambulance for her she was in such a state, hallucinating, hearing voices, collapsed on the school field where she'd run away losing her shoes in the process, just lying there mumbling incoherently in the mud. It was terrible, my poor little girl.
I took her out of school completely between last Jan and last September. Home schooled, but in reality we did nothing - just gave her a complete break from it.

She was under Camhs and also had a private counsellor. I kept that quiet from Camhs because they said they wouldn't see DD if she was also seeing someone else.
Camhs counsellor was actually great and really helped DD.
Her counsellor also helped and was someone she could talk to and open up to.
Camhs did EMDR therapy with DD.

She started a new college for 14-19 year olds in September. She is going, happy, not hurting herself, She has just done her mocks for year 10 and didn't panic, run out of the room, cry or anything. I'm so proud of her and tell her all the time. I don't give two hoots how well she does in GCSEs I'm just so grateful and relieved she's going.
She's been discharged from CAMHS and doesn't need to see her other counsellor either.

I believe that her first school, although incredibly supportive, became so associated with anxiety that it was never going to be ok.

So a six month break, EMDR from a great Camhs worker and her private counsellor and a completely new start has worked for my DD.
If you'd told me a year ago, when we were in the depths of despair, that she would be happy, healthy and attending college in a years time I wouldn't have believed you.
I send hugs to everyone going through this, it's awful.
But things can get better.
Mental wellbeing is 100 times more important that GCSEs.
Everyone (including DH ) thought I was crazy taking DD out for 6 months, but it was the best thing we did.

That’s fantastic news. It sounds like she developed psychosis. Poor love. It must have been terrifying for her.
How anyone could think taking her out of school was a bad idea is beyond me.
Well done for fighting for her.

keehar that's great to hear...I think good news stories give us all a bit of hope.

for you ihate so sorry for your loss.

I did have a question - the safeguarding team at DDs school say that they only tell teachers there is a CP issue with a certain child, NOT what the actual issue is. Does anybody else agree with this?

Keehar
What a heart warming story. So nice to read this.

That's amazing. Well done to your DD for all of her hard work. 😊😊

Keehar thanks so much for posting that it's actually made me cry.I need to hear that it may be all ok in the end.

Am feeling quite positive today after DD had a good therapy session but at the same time I realise that it's a long road ahead and I feel so bloody tired.

Ihate so sorry about your Gran xx

Question for you all... do your children keep in touch with friends from school or elsewhere? My DS has now taken a knock from seeing new names in the PlayStation group he used to be part of. When I suggested that he make contact he made clear that it wasn't an option for him. Also, do they take pleasure in anything outside of the home. I've been trying to encourage him to take some baby steps with something he's always wanted to do as a way of building self esteem, but he's struggling big time.

I notice your daughter has had counselling for a while. What kind of counselling is it, and what does she think of it? Bear in mind there are lots of different types of counselling/psychotherapy and if one doesn't work something else might. And research shows that the most important thing is the quality of the relationship she forms with the counsellor, so it can be worth trying a few to find one she really trusts.
find someone with a proper professional membership, such as BACP or UKCP

She got fed up of the counselling. I don’t think the counsellor was very helpful for my dd. The counsellor would over run by 30 mins and I think expect too much from my dd.
We stopped about a month ago.

But.....We finally have a camhs appointment. No idea if they will help her but we will see what happens.

Hello - I've found this thread very helpful and wonder if anyone could send me any recommendations of teenage / adolescent therapist / counsellor or psychologists who they know are really good, in London? Many thanks.

Me too emlitt. We tried one but she went away and DD never got into a routine of seeing her and then found it more of a burden than a relief. I'd love to find someone good, North or Central London.

Just wanted to update... I've name changed now but was shitbag before.
My son got discharged from camhs in August. He completed his GCSEs in school on a room
On his own.... his results were amazing. He's now at college studying 3 a levels. One of which Is psychology because he wants to help
Others like him.
He knew no one at the college. Settled in great. Made new friends and gets two buses there and Back.
The transformation is amazing.
He really is like himself again.
He's actually been on work experience at his old school in student support. This is the place he couldn't face setting foot through the door this time last year.
College are giving him counselling as and when he needs it.
It took me so long to get him the help but I fought so hard, the road to where we are now had been horrific. But we did it.
So please I hope this helps those who are still going through it.
There is hope

I have a teenager living with me due to her parents being utterly ‘dysfunctional’ and she can’t stay there anymore. She has been referred to Camhs but in the meantime has been put on 10mg fluoxetine but her gp and it’s helped with amazing results. The teenager feels she’s starting to get back to her old self and has started to enjoy life again. I have very low expectations of Camhs due to their workloads so tbh this is a godsend at the moment. So I believe gps can prescribe in extreme cases 🙂

I’m so glad that I’ve found this thread.
We’re going through the same thing.
We had a camhs assessment yesterday where the assesssor told her to “think positively” and put motivational quotes on the fridge . Oh, why hadn’t I thought of that?. She also asked questions about my mental health and the mental of family members. Seriously, how can we as parents go through this kind of experience without being stressed, anxious and sometimes depressed ourselves? We can’t.

@maid1306 can I ask what the help you got for your DD was?

My DS is at crisis point I feel, GP has been useless and first CAMHS appointment isn't for 2 weeks.

Any advice on first steps in the private sector please? I am way out of my depth but wondering if I can get him help from a psychiatrist this week

It's normal to feel out of your depth. I completely understand. It's hell Isnt it?

I looked in to private help.
At first my son was medicated and referred to a group counselling. He went for the initial assessment but there's no way it was right for a child who had social anxiety.
So I went back every week at least to the doctors begging for help. Every day things seemed to get worse I rang for emergency appointments. One point he was suicidal and admitted having a previous failed attempt. This seemed to kick things off quicker. He was referred to camhs. We had the initial assessment with them within two weeks which Ive been told is record time.
Then we were in a waiting list for CBT, they told me he was a very poorly boy.
And again I rang every few days to see if he would be seen soon.
Every time we had a day where it seemed he was worse I rang begging!
His first CBT was roughly a month later.
In that time I had him watched 24 hours a day. As a Single mum it was tough! My parents took turns whilst I was at work.
He didn't leave the house. Not even to go to his dads.
It seemed to me it had to get really bad to actually get the help, the suicide attempt and thoughts pushed it. It's so tough. The services are so stretched. But once you're in they're absolutely amazing.
We had a great doctor in the end who fought to get him help too.
I can honestly say though if the waiting list was longer I would have paid for help. Anything to get him better.
There's a lot of groups such as young minds who will assess your child too,
Most importantly seek whatever help you can for you too. There's no real support for parents. The only people that understood were people that had sadly experienced it too.
Please feel free to message me

Hi new on here looking for help and support it’s good to read through all your posts. I’m a single parent to 3 boys 12 and twins 11 one of twins suffering with anxiety and feeling ‘sad’ he can’t explain ‘sad’. Have been through camhs had CBT over 4 months, although they have been supportive have now discharged him saying nothing more they can do at present. Situation not improved, also on waiting list for ASD clinic since January. School senco been really unhelpful, he hasn’t got enough problems etc for them to offer any help. I have got them to agree to a learning mentor but that’s a half hour session per week (not sure for how long). His attendance isn’t to bad but I do make him go but struggle every night and morning with him. Also had argument with senco as when I don’t send him due to anxiety I say he is ill so he doesn’t get unauthorised attendance, she says I shouldn’t do this, my argument was why is mental illness different from physical illness, she couldn’t answer that but said I would get help if he had more unauthorised attendance! Don’t believe her! Would love to hear about your take on my situation.

Dad saw a private child clinical psychologist fortnightly for 2 years. £60 per appointment. It helped

Autocorrect - dd not dad

Hi everyone
Could I please have advice on good adolescent psychiatrist in London?
My son is sinking into deprsssion and I’m desperate. We’ve been through CBT route privately and via CAHMS agency which led to nothing.
He also had referral declined so many times by CAHMs themselves.
Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!