Merton
Merton Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. We provide mental health assessment and treatment for children, young people (aged 5-18) and their families living in the London Borough of Merton. Where appropriate a combination of approaches is used in line with the young person's needs and as agreed with the family through care planning.
Conditions we treat
The CAMHS team offers a ranges of assessments and treatments for children and young people presenting with enduring moderate to severe mental health needs which impact significantly on their day to day life.
- Depression
- Anxiety Disorders
- Separation anxiety
- Social anxiety
- Generalised anxiety
- Panic Disorder
- Psychosis
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/ Trauma
- Risk management around Self-Harm
- Risk management around Suicidal Ideation
- Risk management around Behaviour
- Evidence-based treatments with ADHD where appropriate
- Mental health difficulties associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
What you can expect
We offer evidence based interventions in line with the young person's needs and as agreed with the family through care planning. Our work is time-limited, targeted and goal focussed, and treatment progress is reviewed regularly. We aim to facilitate smooth transition and discharge from the service.
Services we offer
Services offered include:
- Assessment of moderate to severe mental health conditions, formulation, diagnosis and recommendations for treatment.
- Risk assessment and risk management plans to support children and young people presenting with mental health difficulties to support safety.
- Evidence based therapies including:
- Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT),
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Compassion Focused therapy (CFT)
- Trauma Focused CBT and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing EMDR) for trauma
- Family/Systemic therapy
- Pharmacotherapy (medication) with advice and monitoring
- Consultations and network meetings with other professionals
- Referrals for children presenting for assessment of neurodevelopmental difficulties (ASD / ADHD) will be screened initially in our Merton Single Point of Access (SPA) team. If threshold for diagnosis is met and reflected in the screening measures, a referral to the SWLSTG Trust's Neurodevelopmental Disorders Assessment Team will follow so that a comprehensive assessment and diagnosis of the difficulties can be undertaken.
- Referrals for children presenting with Eating Disorders (Anorexia and Bulimia) will be screened initially in the Merton Single Point of Access team. If threshold for diagnosis is met, referral to the SWLSTG Trust's Eating Disorders Team will follow so that a more comprehensive assessment and treatment of the difficulties can be undertaken. Sometimes the Eating Disorders team will consult to our service.
Referrals
Referrals to Merton CAMHS are currently accepted from professionals such as GPs, teachers, social workers, school nurses or any other health or educational professional if they feel there is a need for the CAMHS services. Professional referrals are made via the CAMHS Single Point of Access (SPA) by using the eReferrals system or by emailing MertonSPAreferrals@swlstg.nhs.uk with our Merton CAMHS SPA Referral Form
We currently accept self-referrals for 16 and 17 years olds via our Merton CAMHS Self-Referral Form
We offer a consultation line to professionals who wish to discuss whether to make a referral for a young person 0203 513 6067. This line is open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm.
The Single Point of Access staff can advise on:
- Whether Community CAMHS can help
- How to make a referral
- What information the service needs
- The timescale for being seen
- What support might be available pending the first appointment
The SPA team will screen all referrals and offer an appointment either face to face or via a telephone/video interview to determine the most suitable treatment options to address issues presented at the point of referral.
The SPA team will also sends questionnaires about the young person in order for the team to gain more insight into the young person's circumstances
When the SPA team has carried out the initial screening and assessment the young person will be offered a relevant intervention or signposting option. This may include an evidence-based therapeutic intervention, risk management support or extended assessment from our Getting More Help/Tier 3 team based at Birches House. In other cases, the young person could be referred/signposted to another service within the borough that is best placed to meet the young person or family's needs (including voluntary sector services).
We are closely linked with the CAMHS Emergency Care Team (CECS) who assess young people presenting in crisis and we provide follow-up and on-going treatment as required.