Child and Adolescent Inpatient Pediatric Consultation-Liaison Service

We work to address the psychological needs of children and families coping with or adjusting to any of the following:

• Serious illness or injury
• The diagnosis of chronic illness
• Life-threatening medical conditions

We also provide evaluation and psychological support to youth who struggle with primary psychiatric illnesses leading to medical conditions and psychiatric manifestations of medical illnesses.

Common consultation requests include:

• Assessment and treatment of youth with adjustment difficulties related to medical illness
  
• Development of behavioral plans for youth with difficulties adhering to medical treatments
  
• Assessment of psychosomatic illnesses
  
• Assessment and psychological treatment of eating disorders
  
• Crisis and safety evaluation: assessing children at risk of self-harm, suicidal ideation, or aggressive behaviors while they are in the medical hospital
  
• Assessment and treatment of neuropsychiatric syndromes
• Medication consultations: initiating or adjusting psychotropic medications, particularly when they may interact with medical treatments
• Staff consultation: facilitating communication between the medical team, the family, and the patient to reduce distress related to chronic or life-threatening diagnoses

Consultation requests must come from a child’s primary medical physician on an inpatient medical unit. Once a child’s caregivers approve of the consult request, a child psychiatry service provider conducts an initial assessment with the child and parent and proposes a treatment plan.