Children and Youth Clinic at Maale Hacarmel Mental Health Medical Center

The clinic at Maale Hacarmel Mental Health Medical Center, which is affiliated to the Children and Youth Division of the center, operates as a central clinic ("parent" clinic), alongside further extensions in the community. The clinic provides ambulatory services (without hospitalization) and is intended to provide a solution in the field of mental health for children and youth aged 6-18 (up to the age of 21 among special education children), who are in need for diagnostic, treatment, and guidance processes in the field of mental and emotional disorders.

 
The clinic serves a wide-area population that includes patients from Haifa, its suburbs, Nesher, Tivon, Tirat Hacarmel, Atlit and Hof Hacarmel, Daliat El Carmel and Ussafiya.

The clinic at Maale Hacarmel Mental Health Medical Center, which is affiliated to the Children and Youth Division of the center, operates as a central clinic ("parent" clinic), alongside further extensions in the community. The clinic provides ambulatory services (without hospitalization) and is intended to provide a solution in the field of mental health for children and youth aged 6-18 (up to the age of 21 among special education children), who are in need for diagnostic, treatment, and guidance processes in the field of mental and emotional disorders.

 
The clinic serves a wide-area population that includes patients from Haifa, its suburbs, Nesher, Tivon, Tirat Hacarmel, Atlit and Hof Hacarmel, Daliat El Carmel and Ussafiya.

The clinic staff is multi-disciplinary:

Specialized psychiatrists and interns in child and adolescent psychiatry, specialized and intern clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, includes an expert in treating hearing impairments proficient in sign language, occupational therapist.
 

The team diagnoses and treats children and adolescents with the following types of disabilities:

• Developmental disorders including autism, mental retardation, learning disabilities.
• Behavioral disorders including ADHD, rebellious and aggressive behavior.
• Crisis responses to stressful situations such as divorce, mourning, immigration or any other life crisis, family problems.
• Emotional disorders and anxiety disorders.
• Psychotic disorders.
• Follow-up and support for children and youth and their families after hospitalization in a psychiatric ward.
• Diagnosing and treating deaf and Hearing impaired children and youth dealing with emotional, behavioral and mental difficulties.

The essence of the service:

The clinic's approach is general and therefore psychiatric and psychological diagnoses are conducted, with extensive reference to the emotional, social and family aspects.

 
The diagnostic process is conducted in 2-4 sessions, after which a team discussion is held to decide on the treatment program.
 
Specification of the treatments:

• Individualized dynamically oriented treatment, play therapy
• Treatment based on a cognitive behavioral method
• Family treatment intervention, including parent training
• Supportive care
• Psychiatric and drug treatment follow-up
• Psychodiagnostic diagnoses
• Providing an opinion in cases referred by the Court
• Providing counseling to the treating functions - - education entities, welfare services, general medical services

Referral method:
Personal application by parents, or by a referral form a pediatrician or family doctor, or by a referral from a social worker employed by the welfare or education services. Application to the clinic must include the consent of both parents, and in particular in cases where the parents are divorced, which require the consent of both guardians, or in some (rare) cases through a social worker under the Youth Law.

 
Upon the referral to the clinic the parents will be sent an initial application form. Filling out this form facilitates the absorption process. Within a short period of time, no longer than two weeks after the receipt of the application, the clinic contacts the applicants and invites them for a meeting.

 
It is recommended to present in the initial meeting all the medical, educational, psychological and social information, held by the family.
All applications are answered and people are invited for a preliminary review.
  
The service is free of charge.
 
Academic Activities at the clinic:
Training medical students from the Technion Faculty of Medicine, training of medical interns in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry, clinical psychology internship, training of students of social work and psychology.