This page is for young people wanting to learn more about what we do and how we can help you.

What is CAMHS?

Have you looked at the relevant information, self-help options and advice on our CAMHS resources page?

Have you accessed support from the suggested Apps, websites and organisations listed?

Have you discussed your concerns with school or college? Are you still struggling?

If so, and you feel you might need more help, it may be that speaking to a CAMHS clinician might be helpful.

Sometimes children and young people might also need more specialist support when they may be going through a particularly difficult time, and have tried different ways of getting help but these have not worked.

CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. CAMHS are usually NHS services that support children and young people with Emotional, Behavioural or Mental health difficulties. Mental health difficulties could include things like:

• Feeling sad or like you don’t want to be here any more
• Hurting yourself or wanting to hurt yourself
• Feeling anxious and scared
• Having problems with eating and food
• Having problems at school or with friends
• Having trouble talking or sleeping
• Hearing voices or seeing things
• Struggling to control your behaviour or temper
• Find it hard to concentrate or get on with friends
• Have to check or repeat things, or worry about germs
• Don't like yourself, or have low self-confidence

How do you get support?

Someone, usually your parents, teacher, GP or yourself if you are old enough, can refer you for an assessment with the appropriate team, to see what help you can get.

This assessment will usually first be over the phone, and if more information is needed we might ask you to come in and meet with us.

If you're being supported by social care, a youth offending team or a service at your school, they might also be able to refer you.

It's important to tell the person referring you as much as you can so you can get the help you need.

You may be asked a lot of questions, and people might want to talk your family. This is because the people you see will want to get a good understanding of the problem, how you see it, and what ideas you might have about dealing with it.

This might also include your parents or carers coming along to assessment and treatment appointments with you, depending your age and what level of involvement you want. It is important that we get consent to do this.

Giving consent means giving your permission for something to happen. It is important that both young people and their parents give their consent for the work that is done in CAMHS.

We would also ask for your consent before doing certain things, like contacting your school or referring you to another service. Getting your consent is really important because you have the right to be involved in your care, and to make choices about things that affect you.

If you have to give your consent, or make a decision about something, we will try to help you by explaining things carefully, so that you can fully understand what you are agreeing to. It is often important for any decisions to be made with your parents, particularly if you are under 16 years old.

Once we have a good sense of the person you are and what you want, we will suggest different things that can help and you'll decide what to do next together.

What don’t CAMHS do?

We cannot “cure” mental health difficulties or prevent difficulties from ever coming back. Lots of things can impact on our mental health, some of which are beyond anyone’s control.

Instead we work with you to help you learn how to manage your difficulties and in many cases overcoming them is absolutely possible.

There may also be some difficulties or experiences which CAMHS are not able to provide support for. In these cases we will help you access appropriate help from other organisations and services such as drug and alcohol services and bereavement services, plus many others.

What will CAMHS ask from you?

You will need to be willing and committed to attending sessions that are offered, as well as trying and practicing techniques until you find what works well for you. You will need to be prepared to work with us in this way so that you have the best chance of achieving your goals/recovery.

Overcoming difficulties also depends on how much an individual would like to change. Often change can be scary and many young people feel they don’t have the energy or the motivation to change or try different things. If you have made the step of asking for help and attending an assessment and are committed to making changes, we will work with you to help you achieve your goals.

We cannot “cure” mental health difficulties or prevent difficulties ever coming back. Lots of things can impact on our mental health, some of which are beyond anyone’s control. Instead we work with you to help you learn how to manage your difficulties and in many cases overcoming them is absolutely possible.

There may also be some difficulties or experiences which CAMHS are not able to provide support for. In these cases we will help you access appropriate help from other organisations and services such as drug and alcohol services and bereavement services, plus many others.

What is EWMHS and CAMHS?

EWMHS stands for Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Services, and the EWMHS is made up of what we call the ‘Wellbeing Hub’ and Specialist CAMHS services.

What is the Wellbeing Hub?

We all need a bit of help sometimes, but it can be difficult to know how, or who, to ask. The Wellbeing Hub is a place where you, your family, or anyone else who might be important in your life, can call or visit in order to get advice and information on different ways to help and support you with your Emotional Health and Wellbeing.

Please see our contact us page for more details on how to get in touch.

The Wellbeing Hub hopes to help all children and young people in our area have access to the right kind of support for them.  This might include things like being referred to online counselling and support, self-help strategies and support, support in your local community, helpful activities, and various other things which might help you during a difficult time in your life.

...Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist?

A child and adolescent psychiatrist is a medically qualified doctor who specialises in understanding and working with mental health difficulties children and young people experience. A large part of their work involves identifying what the difficulties are, understanding what may have caused them to develop, and giving advice about what may help. Psychiatrists are also able to recommend and prescribe medication.

...Clinical Psychologist?

Psychologists are trained to understand behaviour, relationships and emotions and assess these using psychometric tests if they feel this would be useful. Psychologists are able to offer a range of therapies for difficulties such as phobias, eating disorders, depression, anxieties and relationship difficulties. They can also offer parenting advice and family therapy. Unlike psychiatrists who are medically qualified, psychologists cannot prescribe drugs.

...Clinical Nurse Specialist?

A clinical nurse specialist in CAMHS is a senior nurse (RGN or RMM qualified) who has specialised in the area of child/young person/family psychiatry. They have been trained in identifying any signs which may be connected with mental health difficulties. They are able to offer a wide range of therapies/ interventions to families whose child(ren) are experiencing emotional or behavioural difficulties. Some may further specialise in particular therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), or have particular interests such as childhood bereavement, eating disorders or children who are ‘looked after’.

...Family Therapist?

Family therapists help family members find constructive ways to help each other. They work in ways that acknowledge the contexts of people's families and other relationships, sharing and respecting individuals' different perspectives, beliefs, views and stories, and exploring possible ways forward. Please download the Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFT)'s 'What is family therapy' leaflet for more information.

...Primary Mental Health Worker?

Primary Mental health Workers may come from a variety of backgrounds e.g. social work, nursing, counselling. They work with children and young people who are experiencing emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties. The idea being that these workers will work with children and young people at the early stages of their difficulties. A large part of their work is doing consultation with professionals who are already working with a child e.g. a teacher.

...STAR worker?

A STAR (Support, Time and Resilience) worker may come from a variety of backgrounds, part of their role include working within schools to promote emotional health and wellbeing.

...Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist?

Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists spend a large part of their training understanding infant behaviour and early relationships, and recognising the impact of early experiences on later life and relationships. They work mainly with children and teenagers in 1:1 therapy, and see parents/ carers to support the individual therapy the young person is having. Psychotherapists usually provide once-weekly, long-term work with young people, and in addition, liaise with schools, do detailed assessments, case reviews and some joint work with social services. In therapy, the psychotherapist aims to provide an environment in which the child or young person can play and enquire, and through the therapist-young person relationship, the young person can begin to make sense of their experiences. 

...Specialist CAMHS Worker?

Specialist CAMHS Workers are trained to work with young people and their families who are experiencing relationship or emotional difficulties. Specialist CAMHS Workers can undertake individual work with young people using a range of therapies, and they also work jointly with their colleagues in CAMHS and social services field work teams in order to provide support and advice.