Children
A few words for parents...
Perhaps you are seeing your child struggle, or a teacher or coach was concerned about your child's well being. Maybe you are feeling stressed out by parenting, and want a fresh approach to improve the situation. Whatever reason has brought you here, there are many routes to turning the situation around and flourishing. See below for details on how I go about helping children and families move from difficulty to success.
Confidentiality of Services
I take the privacy and confidentiality of you and your child very seriously. I realize the centrality of privacy, confidentiality, and trust in every patient-doctor relationship. If you have any concerns or questions about confidentiality issues, I'm happy to discuss them with you.
Initial Phone Contact
If you think I can be helpful to you, after reviewing my website, the first step is to give me a call. Following a brief conversation on the phone we can decide together on the best next step.
Assessment
After our initial phone communication, we may decide to move forward with an assessment. Although we will discover more together as I get to know you and your child, it’s extremely useful for us to start with a good biological-psychological-social assessment. It's always surprising to me that although children receive annual physical exams in our society, we rarely time taken to professionally assess their emotional and mental health. During the assessment, I will listen to you first. If it will help -- and strictly with your permission -- I’ll speak to other important people (e.g. teachers, doctors, caregivers). I will try to holistically understand your child's unique strengths and vulnerabilities within the context of school, community, key relationships, play, and child development. Often children have never had a broad and in-depth assessment, and this alone can be therapeutic, because sometimes solutions emerge directly from it. Once we’ve finished the assessment, I’ll discuss treatment planning with you and your child. Together we will select treatment options, and I’ll make referrals when appropriate. By combining your own insights with my psychiatric expertise -- within the support of a deepening human relationship -- together we will find a path forward to resolve the difficulties your child is facing. We’ll revisit the plan regularly to make sure it is up-to-date and working.
Medication
Prescribed medication is only one tool from a big toolbox that we can use. I find that decisions about medication are best handled as an open discussion between parents and doctor. This involves reviewing the risks, benefits, and alternatives to medication. There are often other options that can be tried first or along-side medication. Sometimes medication alone is sufficient, and at other times it is not necessary at all. Children are also involved in discussions about medications in an age-appropriate manner.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, in the broadest sense, is often a vital part of treatment. In the case of younger children, therapy methods can vary greatly depending on the situation. Relative to adult and adolescent treatment, the treatment of children is often far more of a team-based process, with parents choosing whom I have permission to contact (e.g. teachers, doctors, caregivers). Occasionally school or home visits are useful -- again, only if the parents approve. I may ask to spend time with the child, parents, the whole family, parts of the family, or some combination thereof. If parents are stressed by parenting and want new ideas for managing their child, I coach them through that -- in fact, in some cases that's all parents want. For young children I often use play techniques as a way to speak their language and understand their inner world. As with adults, our meetings may be longer or shorter, and more or less frequent, depending on the needs of the situation. If your child already has a therapist, if you'd prefer to find another therapist, or if no psychotherapy is indicated, I may be able to provide other services such as medications, referrals, and interval assessments. That said, generally these days my clinical practice is focused on the provision of integrated psychotherapy and medication (if needed) services.
Additional Aspects of Treatment
Since I approach your child's care holistically, there may be other aspects of treatment that are very important. At times addressing nutrition, sleep, medical issues, or exercise can help, and when appropriate I might make referrals for assistance in those areas. For children with disabilities or complex medical problems, collaborating with caregivers and other professionals is often key. Together we will figure out the best solutions.
Other Child-Related Services
Occasionally families or other professionals request specialized services, such as expert witness testimony and custody evaluations. I am happy to discuss these other services with you.
Perhaps you are seeing your child struggle, or a teacher or coach was concerned about your child's well being. Maybe you are feeling stressed out by parenting, and want a fresh approach to improve the situation. Whatever reason has brought you here, there are many routes to turning the situation around and flourishing. See below for details on how I go about helping children and families move from difficulty to success.
Confidentiality of Services
I take the privacy and confidentiality of you and your child very seriously. I realize the centrality of privacy, confidentiality, and trust in every patient-doctor relationship. If you have any concerns or questions about confidentiality issues, I'm happy to discuss them with you.
Initial Phone Contact
If you think I can be helpful to you, after reviewing my website, the first step is to give me a call. Following a brief conversation on the phone we can decide together on the best next step.
Assessment
After our initial phone communication, we may decide to move forward with an assessment. Although we will discover more together as I get to know you and your child, it’s extremely useful for us to start with a good biological-psychological-social assessment. It's always surprising to me that although children receive annual physical exams in our society, we rarely time taken to professionally assess their emotional and mental health. During the assessment, I will listen to you first. If it will help -- and strictly with your permission -- I’ll speak to other important people (e.g. teachers, doctors, caregivers). I will try to holistically understand your child's unique strengths and vulnerabilities within the context of school, community, key relationships, play, and child development. Often children have never had a broad and in-depth assessment, and this alone can be therapeutic, because sometimes solutions emerge directly from it. Once we’ve finished the assessment, I’ll discuss treatment planning with you and your child. Together we will select treatment options, and I’ll make referrals when appropriate. By combining your own insights with my psychiatric expertise -- within the support of a deepening human relationship -- together we will find a path forward to resolve the difficulties your child is facing. We’ll revisit the plan regularly to make sure it is up-to-date and working.
Medication
Prescribed medication is only one tool from a big toolbox that we can use. I find that decisions about medication are best handled as an open discussion between parents and doctor. This involves reviewing the risks, benefits, and alternatives to medication. There are often other options that can be tried first or along-side medication. Sometimes medication alone is sufficient, and at other times it is not necessary at all. Children are also involved in discussions about medications in an age-appropriate manner.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, in the broadest sense, is often a vital part of treatment. In the case of younger children, therapy methods can vary greatly depending on the situation. Relative to adult and adolescent treatment, the treatment of children is often far more of a team-based process, with parents choosing whom I have permission to contact (e.g. teachers, doctors, caregivers). Occasionally school or home visits are useful -- again, only if the parents approve. I may ask to spend time with the child, parents, the whole family, parts of the family, or some combination thereof. If parents are stressed by parenting and want new ideas for managing their child, I coach them through that -- in fact, in some cases that's all parents want. For young children I often use play techniques as a way to speak their language and understand their inner world. As with adults, our meetings may be longer or shorter, and more or less frequent, depending on the needs of the situation. If your child already has a therapist, if you'd prefer to find another therapist, or if no psychotherapy is indicated, I may be able to provide other services such as medications, referrals, and interval assessments. That said, generally these days my clinical practice is focused on the provision of integrated psychotherapy and medication (if needed) services.
Additional Aspects of Treatment
Since I approach your child's care holistically, there may be other aspects of treatment that are very important. At times addressing nutrition, sleep, medical issues, or exercise can help, and when appropriate I might make referrals for assistance in those areas. For children with disabilities or complex medical problems, collaborating with caregivers and other professionals is often key. Together we will figure out the best solutions.
Other Child-Related Services
Occasionally families or other professionals request specialized services, such as expert witness testimony and custody evaluations. I am happy to discuss these other services with you.
Michael Swetye, M.D., P.C. ~ Adult, Adolescent, and Child Psychiatry in San Francisco ~ Phone (415) 942-8589 ~ Fax (415) 715-9555
Copyright © 2019 Michael Swetye, M.D., P.C. ~ All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2019 Michael Swetye, M.D., P.C. ~ All Rights Reserved