CAMHS: what’s the deal?

How can I get help?

If someone like a teacher or your doctor is worried about you, they can write to CAMHS to see if we can help you. This is called making a referral. The person who is going to write to us has to get your permission first. As long as we think you’re able to decide, it’s up to you whether or not we let your parents know.

Talk to your parents or carers, or an adult you trust, if you’re having trouble with your thoughts or feelings. Find out more here.

Who works at CAMHS?

Most children who get help from CAMHS see one of our community teams. This normally means you’ll come to see us for weekly appointments at one of our bases, at a health centre or at your school.

We have lots of people working for us who can help you in different ways. These include:

• family therapists – who talk through problems with you and your family
• CAMHS social workers – who support children and families through difficult times
• family support workers – who can give advice to your parents or carers
• mental health practitioners – who support young people and their families to bring about positive change
• psychologists – experts in how people think and act
• psychiatrists – doctors who work on thoughts and feelings
• art psychotherapists – who can help you by using art and music

What happens next?

We’ll talk to you about what your problems are and together we’ll make some goals. This might be things you want to do or targets you want to reach. We’ll give you some treatment to help you. This might be talking through your problems, or taking medicine if you need it.

What else does CAMHS do?

As well as our community teams, we have some teams which work on other difficulties. These include:

• problems with eating
• problems with drugs or alcohol
• psychosis – when someone hears or sees things which aren’t there
• intellectual disability – when someone finds it difficult to communicate or understand things

More information

For more information about CAMHS visit www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/camhs