Young people come and see us for lots of different reasons, such as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Self-harm
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

You may meet several different kinds of professionals in CAMHS.  All of our staff are trained in assessing children and young people, and some staff have additional specialist training. You will be told who you will be coming to see before you come and see us, and this may include a:

• nurse
• psychiatrist
• clinical psychologist
• social worker
• art therapist
• primary mental health worker

If you are referred to us you’ll receive a letter offering you an initial appointment which will include the name of the member of staff you will meet and the location of the department. Your first appointment will last around 1½ hours.

We will usually arrange to see you for two appointments to assess what you need. These appointments give you the opportunity to tell us more about you and what is important in your life.  We will discuss with you what we think may be the problem, and work with you to agree what the best way of helping will be.

You will always be given plenty of opportunity to ask questions – please let us know if you don’t understand, or if you disagree with, what is being said. This is important to us so we can get our assessment and treatment right.

We hold clinics at Albion Road in North Shields,  Monday to Friday between 9am-5pm.

It is very important to us that you feel supported throughout your treatment. You can bring who you like to your appointments, however it’s often helpful for your family or carers to be involved. You will also have the opportunity to speak to staff on your own.

Everything you say to a member of staff will be confidential, unless they feel you or anybody else is in danger of being harmed. If this happens, your CAMHS worker will talk to you about who they need to tell and what details will be shared.

The type of treatment we provide can vary depending on why you are with us. Some of our treatments include:

• Individual talking therapies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), solution focused therapy, art therapy
• Behavioural therapies including support for parents with behaviour management strategies
• Group therapies including Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)
• Medication may be available to treat some problems

You can be referred to our CAMHS team by a range of professionals including GPs, social workers and public health nurses in schools.

If you are a health or educational professional, or a social worker, and are concerned about a child you can refer them directly into our service. Please see our accessibility criteria and referral form below:

Albion Road Clinic
Albion Road
North Shields
NE29 0HG
Telephone: 0191 219 6685