Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Program
The Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Program serves children ages 3 to 18, along with their families. We diagnose and treat kids with a full range of anxiety disorders, including but not limited to panic disorder, OCD and generalized anxiety disorder.
Our treatment philosophy
Our treatment philosophy is based on our commitment to intervening with whole families. The Anxiety Disorders and OCD Program is designed to treat not just the individual child, but parents and siblings as well. In addition, all of our programs are skills- and strengths-oriented, meaning that our psychotherapies strive to build on existing strengths and foster new psychosocial skills in families.
At Children's Hospital Colorado, we are committed to providing evidence-based and standardized treatments. Nearly all of our programs have been validated by research and outcome data. Many of our faculty have contributed to field advancements and are regionally and nationally renowned for their achievements and expertise. Our programs are multidisciplinary in nature, with providers from varied disciplines including nursing, social work, psychology and psychiatry, to ensure that all treatment needs are served.
Finally, we provide comprehensive care, with programs from inpatient to day treatment, and intensive outpatient to routine outpatient. Most of our providers offer continued follow-up into lower levels of care, ensuring continuity and quality of care.
Outpatient services
This program has a comprehensive array of outpatient services including evaluations, medication management and psychological testing, along with individual, group, family and creative arts therapy. Specialized individual work is available, including exposure and response prevention for OCD, habit reversal training for trichotillomania and tics, and interoceptive exposure for panic disorder.
Intensive Outpatient Program
The Intensive Outpatient Program is designed to serve youth with anxiety disorders and OCD who are stepping down from an inpatient setting to a lower level of care; it also serves patients who have not been successful with routine outpatient treatment. In addition, the program is well-suited for youth experiencing symptoms of anxiety who have recently presented the need for an urgent or emergent psychiatric assessment.
This program is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of experts who specialize in treating anxiety disorders in youth and helping their families. The program holds sessions for parents and youth three times a week, for a six-week course of treatment. Components include a comprehensive standardized assessment, psycho-education, skills training, exposure training and creative arts therapies. Please call (720) 777-6200 for more information regarding medication consultations.
Consultation services
The Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Program provides consultation and evaluation services to:
Referral information
Referrals for outpatient mental health services are made through our intake team. Our team will make every effort to work with insurance companies, although not all insurances will authorize treatment at Children's Hospital Colorado. For more information on referrals, please call (720) 777-6200.
Facts about anxiety disorders
- Children with anxiety are likely to experience excessive worrying, accompanied by physical arousal that can manifest as restlessness, jitteriness or insomnia.
- Some examples of presenting complaints include obsessions about contamination or safety, or anxiousness about separation from parents, attending school or social interaction.
- It is not uncommon for children to have two or more anxiety disorders, as well as other comorbid conditions that might include tic, mood or disruptive behavior disorders.
- Children who are anxious are likely to exhibit tantrums, especially when pressured to face anxiety-provoking situations.
- Anxiety disorders run in families, and children with anxiety are likely to have siblings or parents who also suffer from excessive anxiety.
- Anxiety can be treated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alone, or in combination with medication.
Resources for families
For more information about childhood and adolescent anxiety and OCD, we recommend the following resources:
Websites:
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
http://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/children
Childhood Anxiety Network
http://www.selectivemutism.org/
The Child Anxiety Network
http://www.childanxiety.net/Generalized_Anxiety_Disorder.htm
Books:
Childhood Anxiety Network online bookstore
http://www.selectivemutism.org/resources/abookstore
The Child Anxiety Network online bookstore
http://www.childanxiety.net/Resources_for_Parents.htm
