OVERVIEW.
Welcome to CAMHS!
CAMHS is your Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Blackpool. This leaflet is here for you to help explain a little bit more about CAMHS and what we can do to support you.
CAMHS is a service that helps children and young people with moderate to severe mental health difficulties. Children and young people may need help with a wide range of issues at different points in their lives. Parents and carers may also need help and advice to support their child or young person with the difficulties they may be experiencing.
CAMHS work with a range of mental health difficulties for example:
• Anxiety
• Low Mood
• Self-harm
“The young person is doing brilliantly & I’m so proud of how far she’s come! Thank you so much for the support you have provided for the young person, you’ve been amazing!”
‘‘They made me feel very confident about talking about things’’
‘‘Mum said she felt like I was the first person to listen and not judge and when I called she said that I did what I said I would do and she hadn’t expected that, she was really thankful for the support’’
“Words can’t describe how thankful I am for everything you have done for me. Even when I couldn’t see a way out you never gave up on me. Thank you for everything”
When you come to CAMHS you will see a Mental Health Practitioner who will complete a full assessment of your mental health and create an individual care plan to meet your needs. This will include choosing the most appropriate therapy that will help you recover from your mental health difficulties.
A Mental Health Practitioner will also oversee your care whilst in CAMHS, also known as a Care-Coordinator.
Your Care-Coordinator will be your point of contact throughout your journey. They can give you over-the-phone advice inbetween appointments any time during 9-5pm. If your care-coodinator is not available, in the case of emergencies you can contact the CAMHS Duty Team on: 0800 121 7762 Option 1 CAMHS, or the Out of Hours CASHER Team on: 0800 121 7762 Option 2.
Our team is made up of a range of Mental Health Practitioners, such as:
• Psychiatrists
• Therapists/Counsellors
• Mental Health and Paediatric Nurses
• Clinical Psychologists/Assistant Psychologists
• Assistant Practitioners
• Social Workers
• Occupational Therapists
With your permission, students work along-side us from time to time as part of their professional training and may ask to sit in your appointment.
‘‘At CAMHS I can talk openly and be listened to with an open mind and respect’’
‘‘At first I was scared about coming but they listened to me and didn’t patronise me’
The appointments are YOUR time to talk face-to-face or online. We offer a range of evidence-based therapies including:
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
• Problem solving
• Family Therapy
• Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT-A)
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Systemic Therapy
From time to time we run therapeutic groups. You will see these advertised around CAMHS or you may be referred into them by your Practitioner. We can also signpost and guide you to other services that may be of help
• Your initial appointment is an assessment that can last up to an hour and a half.
• During this appointment we will gather some information about yourself and a little about your school, family and home life.
• Together we will build a bigger picture and discuss with you and your parents/carers the best way CAMHS can support you. If we feel that CAMHS can support you and your family, we will provide you with a care plan. We will discuss this with you and arrange further appointments.
• On some occasions we may feel alternative options are more appropriate to support your needs and therefore may signpost you to other support services available to you.
We are aware this PDF are might not be accessible to all users. If you would like to request an accessible version, please contact bfwh.
Read our accessibility statement to learn more.
