Adolescent Behavioral Health Program

The behavioral health services offered through the Division of Adolescent Medicine consist of two major areas outlined below – general outpatient services and services specific to the Gender and Sex Development Program.

We’re a fairly new division that continues to grow, so more behavioral health services are on their way.

General Outpatient Diagnostic & Psychotherapy Services

Behavioral Health Services Specific to the Gender & Sex Development Program

Patients referred for behavioral health support for issues related to gender development and/or sex development may benefit from the services outlined below.

Multidisciplinary Clinic Services

• Initial Psychosocial Screening – All patients new to the multidisciplinary gender clinic meet with one of our psychologists for a general psychosocial screening with the goal of identifying potential behavioral health and supportive service needs. This screening is informed by a battery of measures assessing gender dysphoria, behavioral and emotional concerns, and parenting stress and support to be completed by patients and parents/guardians during their initial appointment.
• Ongoing Psychosocial Screening – Patients returning to multidisciplinary gender clinic are rescreened by our psychologists every 12 months (sooner if indicated) using a subset of the measures completed during the initial psychosocial screening. The goal of ongoing screening is to identify changes in behavioral health/supportive service needs.

Consultative Outpatient Services

• Consultative Psychosocial Assessment - This two- to three-session consultative assessment with one of our behavioral health providers will focus on matters specific to the child or adolescent’s gender development (e.g., identity exploration, identity formation) and will consist of individual time spent with the child/adolescent, individual time with the parents, time with the family together when indicated, and feedback. This service may be used for gender nonconforming youth who are already in treatment with a behavioral health provider but may be seeking additional consultation on gender issues.
• Ongoing Consultative Visits - When indicated, families may continue to meet for behavioral health visits to receive ongoing gender-based consultation. The behavioral health provider will meet with the child, adolescent, parents and/or families (including sibling participation when indicated) at a frequency that is guided by the focus of consultation. The provider will consult with the outside therapist with a predominant focus on gender-related issues.
• Consultation to Professionals (inpatient when necessary) - Phone or in-person consultation to Lurie Children’s and non-Lurie Children’s therapists, school psychologists and social workers, GSA advisors, etc. on general issues pertaining to gender and affirmative practice. Consultation on patient or family-specific issues may warrant a recommendation for a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, and possibly ongoing consultative psychosocial gender-based therapy.
• Organizational Systems Consultation - Phone or in-person consultation on general issues pertaining to gender and affirmative practice with administrators/stakeholders at school, district or other organizational levels.
• Psychotropic Medication Evaluation and Management - Patients of our Gender and Sex Development Program presenting with psychiatric concerns for which psychotropic medications may be indicated may be referred for medication evaluation and management with our gender-sensitive psychiatrist.