Psychiatric Treatment Team

Who treats psychiatric disorders?

Mental health disorders are complex and require clinical care by a multidisciplinary treatment team. Team members may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Child and adolescent psychiatrist. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are licensed medical doctors (MD or DO) who specialize in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders in children and adolescents. Their medical and psychiatric training with children and adolescents prepares them to treat children and adolescents either individually, as part of and involving the family unit, and/or in a group setting. Child and adolescent psychiatrists can prescribe medicines, if needed.

• Psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are licensed medical doctors (MD or DO) who specialize in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders. Their medical and psychiatric training prepares them to treat adults and children either individually, as part of and involving the family unit, and/or in a group setting. Psychiatrists can prescribe medicines, if needed.

• Psychologist. Psychologists are licensed mental health professional (PhD or PsyD) who specialize in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders. Training prepares clinical psychologists to treat adults and children either individually, as part of and involving the family unit, and/or in a group setting. Psychologists also conduct cognitive, academic, and personality testing.

• Social worker, or licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). Social workers (bachelors- masters-, or doctoral-level) often work with the child and family to reach the long- and short-term treatment goals, as established by your child's healthcare provider. They may do several forms of psychotherapy with your child and family, as necessary.

• Advanced practice psychiatric nurse. Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) are masters- or doctoral-level prepared psychiatric nurses, specializing in mental health nursing. These nurses may be clinical specialists (CNS) or nurse practitioners (NP). They specialize in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health disorders of all ages. They are educated and licensed to treat adults and some also treat children individually, as a family, and also as a group by conducting therapy or prescribing medicines, if needed, and managing the use of these medicines.