Pediatric Mood Disorders Clinic

Consultation consists of a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. For families, understanding their child's diagnosis and available treatment options is an important first step in their ability to confidently make the best choice for their child and family. All child and adolescent patients receive a comprehensive intake evaluation. Our goal is to help families understand their child's behavior and specific difficulties, including any relevant diagnoses, and to provide them with recommendations for the most appropriate treatment plan to meet their family's needs.

Evaluation Process

This will consist of an appointment in which the clinician will meet with you and with your child to gain an understanding of the symptoms and issues that are present. You may be asked to complete rating forms, either prior to, during or after your appointment. 


At the conclusion of the evaluation process, the clinician will review the findings of the evaluation including diagnosis, recommendations for further assessment if warranted, and treatment recommendations based on the best, scientifically sound interventions. 


Outcomes of Consultation

1. Completion: No further treatment is indicated.
2. Treatment Referrals: Resources for recommended psychotherapy, medication, or other treatments within the community will be provided.
3. Treatment at Stanford: If available, time limited medication management and/or psychotherapy may be offered to the family.

For most patients, therapy is the mainstay of treatment for mood symptoms. Therapy is often time limited (3-6 months) and focused on teaching children and their families skills so that they can successfully manage symptoms independently over time.

Some treatments that we may offer include:

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT): CBT comprises of a group of psychological treatments that are based on scientific evidence. This therapy approach focuses on the ways that a person's cognitions (i.e., thoughts), emotions, and behaviors are connected and affect one another. Because emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are all linked, CBT approaches allow for therapists to intervene at different points in the cycle.

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT): IPT is a time-limited, focused, evidence-based approach to treat mood disorders. The main goal of IPT is to improve the quality of a patient’s interpersonal relationships and social functioning to help reduce their distress.

Family Focused Therapy (FFT): FFT is a time-limited (3-6 months) family intervention that has been shown in clinical trials to significantly aid youth with mood and stress challenges, as well as their caregivers. The treatment focuses on increasing understanding of the nature of bipolar disorder, improving family communication and problem-solving, and decreasing patterns of interaction that place the individual at higher risk of relapse. In treatment studies of adolescents with bipolar disorder, FFT for adolescents has been shown to provide quicker remission of depressive symptoms and fewer depressive symptoms over the long-term.

Our clinic provides psychopharmacological (medication) consultation and treatment services to children and adolescents for whom non-psychopharmacological treatments have been ineffective or inappropriate. If available, evidence-based, time-limited medication management services will be offered. Upon stabilization, we typically work with families to transfer care to the child’s pediatrician or community provider.