Mental Health

If you believe your child has a medical or psychiatric emergency, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room.

WHAT WE DO

In cooperation with community based mental health providers, we evaluate and treat children for behavior concerns and school problems including:

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Inattention and lack of focus

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Anxiety

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Depression

Does Your Child Need a Mental Health Evaluation?

If you have concerns about your child's behavioral & mental development, please call our office and a health coordinator will discuss your concerns and gather information that will be used to determine how we can best help your child. If a Behavioral Evaluation with one of our providers is needed, the health coordinator will schedule this visit for you and provide you with assessment tools that you will need to complete prior to your child's visit.

ADD/ADHD 

Assessment tools for Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) that may be assigned to you include:​

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Vanderbilt Assessment - Parent Initial

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Vanderbilt Assessment - Teacher Initial

If assigned, please:

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ou will receive the forms via your child's patient portal

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Teacher Assessments will be sent via email to complete. Please obtain your child's teacher's email address and let him or her know to expect an email our practice regarding your child's assessment

Important! Both assessments must be returned to our office one week prior to your child's appointment.

Anxiety

Assessment tools for anxiety that may be assigned to you include:

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Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) - Parent

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Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) – Child

If assigned, please:

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You will receive the forms via your child's patient portal

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Both you and your child will need to complete the appropriate online SCARED assessment.

Important! Both assessments must be completed one week prior to your child's appointment.

Depression

Assessment tools for depression that may be assigned to you include:

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Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ9)

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Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC)

If assigned, please:

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You will receive the forms via your child's patient portal

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Your child will need to complete both assessments

OCD

Assessment tools for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)  that may be assigned to you include:

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Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS)

Important! This assessments must be returned to our office one week prior to your child's appointment.

What to Expect at a Mental Health Evaluation

At least one week prior to your appointment, complete assigned assessments noted above. On the day of your child's evaluation, please arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. Ideally, your child should eat a nutritious meal prior to the appointment and be well-rested.

Both you and your child will then meet with the provider who will perform a thorough assessment and develop a behavioral health management plan for your child. Our providers may recommend additional counseling to best serve your child.

If the provider prescribes medication, he/she will want to follow up with your child within 21 days to assess your child's progress and to determine if the medication can be refilled. A patient coordinator will schedule this appointment with you before you leave the office.

Ongoing Medication Management

After your child's initial evaluation, if medication is started, your child must be seen within 21 days in order to continue the medication. If your child is doing well with his/her medication, subsequent appointments will be scheduled every 3 months. If a medication or dosage change is needed, your child must be seen within 1 month to assess your child's progress and to determine if the medication can be refilled.

Is Your Child Sick?®

latest news

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You may have heard news about rising numbers of measles cases in Texas and other areas of the United States. 2 doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective (97%) at preventing measles infections. At CHCAC, children receive their first dose at age 1 and a second dose at age 4, to make sure kids are fully protected as soon as possible, and following the recommendations from the CDC. Some infants aged 6 months to 11 months who travel internationally to high-prevlance areas may need a dose to protect them, but they still need the 1 year and 4 year old doses as well. If you are ever concerned about a possible exposure to measles, please CALL before entering our office. DO NOT ENTER the office. This is a highly contagious illness and special precautions must be taken to prevent spread.

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Is Your Child Sick?®

latest news

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Measles update

February 12, 2026
There are cases of measles in NC, and we are aware of exposures in Chapel Hill, Durham, and Wake County. We can give the MMR dose early to families who want it. This applies to infants 6-12 months who have not gotten a dose yet or kids under 4-5 years who have not gotten their second MMR dose. At this time, the NC DHHS and health departments are not recommending this unless traveling or living in an area with sustained transmission. 2 doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective (97%) at preventing measles infections. At CHCAC, children receive their first dose at 12 months of age and a second dose at 4 years of age, ensuring they are fully protected as soon as possible, in accordance with the most up-to-date AAP recommendations. Some infants aged 6 months to 11 months who travel internationally or in high-prevalence areas may need a dose to protect them; however, they still require the 1-year and 4-year-old doses as well. If you are ever concerned about a possible exposure to measles, please CALL before entering our office. DO NOT ENTER the office. NC DHHS keeps a list of areas with measles exposures here . This is a highly contagious illness, and special precautions must be taken to prevent spread. The virus can be present in the air for 2 hours after an infected person is in the room, and 90% of susceptible patients can be infected. As always, if you have questions, we are here to help make sense of it all!