boystown.org

Program Spotlight: Behavioral Health Clinic


Our Behavioral Health Clinic has been able to help multiple children and families by not only offering treatment, but also offering the necessary understanding and support to help them succeed.

Our professionals work in the field of specialized behavioral pediatrics, working with children from the age of two to young adult. Some of the disorders they work with are anxiety, trauma, ADHD, LGBT, etc. With toddlers, these clinicians do parent-child interaction therapy to address temper tantrums and meltdowns.

Since last year, in partnership with the Collaboration Center, clinical assessments have been done that allows for autism evaluation. Parents are guided through the process until they are set up with the services they need. Additionally, families that come in with questions about learning abilities are provided testing. They have been using select neuropsychology assessments for learning, as well as to see the child's executive functioning, how their memory is, and how those interplay with being successful in school.

To continue serving the need for mental health support in the valley, the clinic is looking to expand. “If individuals are willing to donate, we can expand our training program so we can train quality psychologists. The hope is that the post-docs stay in Nevada because we need more psychologists and more behavioral pediatrics psychologists.

“A lot of behavioral health providers don't take insurances and that really affects who is able to access the services. What brought me to Boys Town was being able to know that you were giving back and really supporting the community. I think that is valuable and it does give you the reinforcement that you really are doing work that matters".

- Heather Thompson (PHD level student currently working at the clinic).