Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Mental health treatment for children and their families

At Penn State Children’s Hospital’s, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, provides evidence-based and compassionate treatment for children and teens with a wide range of mental health issues that can impact thoughts, feelings and behaviors. We have programs in Harrisburg at the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute (PPI) and in Hershey at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Penn State Medical Group, Psychiatry (Hershey, PA)
Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute Child and Adolescent Outpatient Services (Harrisburg, PA)

Expert care for children’s mental health

Our team offers a full range of outpatient services for children and adolescents who have mental health or behavioral problems. Our team of caring experts works with children, adolescents and their families to diagnose and manage mental health conditions such as ADHD, autism, anxiety and depression. Services include:

Assessment and diagnosis
Individual (one-on-one) counseling
Group therapy
Family therapy
Parent support programs
Medication treatments

Hershey and Harrisburg offer outpatient services while PPI in Harrisburg also offers inpatient services. Some programs provide services in English and Spanish.

A new study in JAMA Pediatrics that suggests half of children with a mental health condition in the United States go without treatment comes as little surprise to many physicians. They include Dr. James Waxmonsky, chief of child psychiatry at Penn State Health, who notes a lack of insurance and the stigma around such conditions are common barriers. In this interview, Waxmonsky discusses those factors - and signs that a child may be struggling with depression or anxiety.