Overview
Rady Children’s understands the importance of mental health care as a crucial part of the health of the whole child. We offer a full range of services for emotional and behavioral well-being, from family and group therapy to acute care hospitalization.
Our programs are designed for children, youth and families to address challenges related to depression and suicidality, mood problems, anxiety, traumatic stress, attention deficits, hyperactivity, disruptive behavior, eating disorders, substance-related mental health problems and other mental health concerns. Expert and compassionate care is provided by highly skilled professionals, who are dedicated to improving the lives of patients and their families.
Our Team
Our team includes board-certified and board-licensed child and adolescent psychiatrists and pediatricians, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional clinical counselors, as well as psychiatric nurses, alcohol and drug counselors, child life specialists, recreational therapists and case managers.
These health professionals work closely with each patient’s primary physician and other health care and community professionals who may be important to each child’s well-being, including physician specialists, teachers, wraparound teams and other behavioral support specialists.
Our Children’s Behavioral Health Services
Our behavioral health team works across all care settings, including the hospital, clinic and school.
A variety of family-inclusive services for integrative care are offered at the Hospital and other health care settings. If your child is admitted frequently, the team can be a consistent support, providing you and your child with continuity and supporting you in considering treatment options for your child. Our Hospital behavioral health services also include emergency inpatient programs. Learn about our Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Services (CAPS), Medical Behavioral Unit and Child Life Services.
In our behavioral health clinics, in schools and in the community, children can be followed regularly and receive ongoing mental health support and symptom management, as well as continuity and coordination of care. Our clinicians and case managers are available for some patients who have Educationally Related Mental Health Supports in a number of schools in San Diego County. Learn about our outpatient psychiatry clinics, Behavioral Health Urgent Care and Chadwick Center for Children and Families.
Find the right program for you or your child.
Video: Music Helps Kids Struggling With Mental Health Challenges
In the News
- ‘Boys Are Disappearing’ From Mental Health Care as Signs of Depression Go Undetected, NBC News, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- You Matter | Childhood Bullying, cbs8.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Valentine’s Day | Tips for Talking to Teenagers About Healthy Relationships, cbs8.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- 5 Tips for Improving Your Mental Health in 2024, cbs8.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Reflecting on 2023 and Setting Intentions for the New Year, @cbs8sandiego Youtube Channel, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Hospital Rady Children’s Ha Visto un Preocupante Aumento en Crisis Mentales Infantiles, @UnivisionSanDiego Youtube Channel, features Jason Schweitzer, M.D. and Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Guide Helps San Diego County Teachers, Families Talk to Students About Israel-hamas War, nbcsandiego.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- An Inside Look at Rady Children’s Mental Health Emergency Department, cbs8.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- No Phones in the Bathroom: Psychiatrist Breaks Down Bad Phone Habits, nbcsandiego.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Rep. Scott Peters Hosts Roundtable With Middle School Students on Mental Health, kpbs.org, features Benjamin Maxwell, M.D.
- Kids in Crisis: Mental Health and Youth, www.nbcsandiego.com NBC 7, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- School Anxiety Is More and More Common — Here’s How to Help Your Kid Through It, POPSUGAR, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- ADHD drug shortage could make back-to-school season challenging, expert says: ‘Widespread impact’, Fox News, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Opinion: ADHD diagnoses among kids are on the rise. Here’s why and how we can help., The San Diego Union-Tribune, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Teen Marijuana Poisonings Have Skyrocketed. How to Keep Your Child Safe, Time, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- U.S. Teens Are Smoking and Drinking Less But Using Cannabis and Vaping More, Healthline, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Young Adults in California Experience Alarming Rates of Anxiety and Depression, Poll Finds, Los Angeles Times, features Benjamin Maxwell, M.D.
- San Diego County’s Suicide Rate Falls for Third Straight Year, The San Diego Union-Tribune, features Benjamin Maxwell, M.D.
- California Invests Billions for Youth Mental Health Services, kpbs, features Benjamin Maxwell, M.D.
- Recommendation: Kids 8 & Up Should Be Screened for Anxiety (10news.com) features Will Connor, M.D.
- Why Do Toddlers Hit and Bite, and What to Do to Stop It, newsweek.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Kids Getting Older Younger: Are Children Growing Up Too Fast?, bbc.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Dealing with Pressure in Youth Sports, Fox 5, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- US Surgeon General Issues Public Health Advisory on Youth Mental Health Crisis, KPBS, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- The Mental Wellness Movement Is Real And Local – How You Can Support Coronado’s Youth And Families, Coronado Eagle & Journal, features Benjamin Maxwell, M.D.
- Opinion: Here’s How to Make Social Media Safer — and Healthier — for Your Children, The San Diego Union-Tribune, by Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Children’s Mental Health Declared National Emergency, cbs8.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Whistleblower Brings Attention to Facebook and Instagram Affecting Young People’s Mental Health, cbs8.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Youth Suicide Prevention Efforts, Fox 5 San Diego, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- How to Support Students’ Mental Health Returning to School, psych central.com, features Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Opinion: We Have to Identify What’s Driving Increased Anxiety, Depression and Suicide in Children, by Benjamin Maxwell, M.D.
- Rady Children’s Seeing 25% Increase in Mental Health ER Visits, kpbs.com, features inpatient medical director Willough Jenkins, M.D.
- Build Behavioral Health Knowledge Base of Staff to Meet COVID-19 Challenges, Children’s Hospital Today, features Domonique Hensler, senior director of Care Redesign Planning and Mental Health Integration
- Students’ Mental Health Deteriorating During Pandemic, The San Diego Union-Tribune, features Sandy Mueller, senior director of Behavioral Health Services
- Rady Children’s Hospital to Open New Clinic in Murrieta, Press-Enterprise, features Kristin Gist, senior director of Rady Children’s Development Services
- In-Depth: When Will San Diego Playgrounds Reopen?, 10news.com, features psychologist Brent Crandal and infectious disease specialist Mark Sawyer, M.D.
- What Should Schools Do When a Second-Grader Makes a Threat?, Los Angeles Times, features psychiatrist Desiree Shapiro, M.D.
- Rady Children’s to Create Unique Psychiatric Emergency Department for Kids, The San Diego Union-Tribune, features Benjamin Maxwell, M.D., medical director, inpatient psychiatry, and Charles Wilson, senior director, Chadwick Center for Children & Families
- Why Teenage Brains Are So Hard to Understand, Time, features Jay Giedd, M.D.
- Rady Children’s to Create Unique Psychiatric Emergency Department for Kids, The San Diego Union-Tribune, features Benjamin Maxwell, M.D.., medical director, inpatient psychiatry, and Charles Wilson, senior director, Chadwick Center for Children & Families
- Expert Transpersonal Psychologist, Cheryl A. Demalignon, Ph.D, Is to Be Recognized as a 2017 Top Doctor in San Diego, California, PR NewsChannel, features Cheryl Demalignon, Ph.D.
- New Center Shows Surge in Demand for Children’s Mental Health Services, The San Diego Union-Tribune, features Barent Mynderse, director of behavioral health services
- San Diego Experts on How Anxiety Affects Children, kpbs.com, features psychiatrist Desiree Shapiro, M.D.
Support Our Program
One hundred percent of your tax-deductible gift benefits Rady Children’s.
To donate, click the link below and select Mental Health Services from the Gift Designation Drop-down menu: