Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Need mental health professional help!

Hello,

I am trying to find some mental health resources for my HG 7 yo daughter. She has become so angry, resentful, disrespectful, and obstinate lately and it's getting worse. It has become more than my husband and I can deal with and we are trying to find someone who can see her/us. I can't seem to find anyone in our Phoenix metro area who: sees children, has experience/training with gifted children, takes insurance, and isn't 5 months booked out for an appointment. I have tried the SENG website and there isn't anyone listed there as a professional or as a liaison for Arizona. I feel like my only option will be to try and seek out a professional who has experience with learning disabled children, but am hesitant to do so because of all the info out there about misdiagnosis and incorrect /harmful treatments. Does anyone have any ideas or know of anyone in the Arizona area who sees gifted children and takes insurance or has anyone come up against the same circumstance and found a solution that worked? I would appreciate any and all input or advice, we are desperate!

Thank you in advance.

Welcome!

While each list has a disclaimer stating essentially that the list is a courtesy, not an endorsement... known lists are:
- NAGC, and its state affiliates (The NAGC affiliate for AZ is listed as Arizona Association for Gifted which may have a readily available list of local resources.)
- SENG
- Hoagies gifted education page (link- http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/psychologists.htm)

For example, Hoagies' currently has three parent-recommended psychologists in AZ. This could be a starting point to contact the offices and discuss insurance and appointment availability. To learn more about a particular office or individual you may wish to use a search engine. For example, there may be youtube video interviews, blog posts, etc which may help families assess a comfortable "fit".

The SENG website has an article, Tips for Selecting the Right Counselor or Therapist for Your Child, by Dr. James Webb, posted September 14, 2011.

If I recall, there are also a few professionals specializing in gifted who will communicate via technology to provide online support in certain circumstances.

If something else does not become immediately available, consider booking an intake appointment with one of those providers who book 5 months out. It is better than not having anything and they may have some cancellations and be able to fit you in sooner.

You could always cancel if you find someone else first.

Second, is there a problem in school? If so, you may be able to have them do an assessment and seek counseling or emotional support at school.

Brewcrew, I just sent you a PM.

Just a quick post to see if you've checked for possible triggers for changes in behavior, such as:
- changes at school?
- academic difficulty (ranging form bored, to lack of support, even a sense of unwanted competition)?
- social problems in learning environment?
- friend move away, or ill and out of school?
- new teacher?
- new seat in the classroom? Sometimes a well-behaved child is moved to break up chronic misbehavers.
- any possible exposure to sexual conduct or contact?
- illness/death of a grandparent or other member of support system?
- changes at home such as new sibling, separation/divorce, parental job change, tight budget?
- changes in what foods are offered and eaten?
- HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired), as mentioned in this SENG article?

Just want to confirm that the issue is school related. If not, you might get access through your child's GP more quickly, especially if you suspect something untoward causing the behaviour.

I don't mean to raise alarm bells unduly, but just thought this would be an appropriate and expeditious route to mental health professionals if the facts on the ground merit the approach. Sudden behaviour changes could be the result of a poor fit at school, or arise from any number of root causes. You know your child best.

In the meantime, you have my sincerest sympathy and best wishes.

As a mental health professional, I would be concerned that while gifted children can feel lonely and not understood, and show symptoms of anxiety and depression (often expressed as irritability), it sounds like her symptoms might be outside normal limits for just a typical gifted children. I would suggest finding someone who is simply a good fit for your daughter and bringing some brief paperwork on common behaviors seen in gifted children for them. I wouldn't necessarily limit your search to professionals trained with gifted as you might be looking at other causes.
In the meantime, I would also recommend the parenting book "The Whole Brain Child" by Tina Payne Bryson and Daniel Seigel. It would be very helpful in guiding you and your spouse through how to respond to her behavior.
On a sidenote, if you are needing your insurance billed, the clinician will have to have a diagnosis to bill under. You and your spouse may have to have a conversation about getting services that she needs with a potential misdiagnosis, or avoiding a misdiagnosis and maybe not getting the services. Lovely medical model!!:P

Aren't medical professionals able to bill under the NOS codes if a cluster of behaviours could exist in multiple areas? Sometimes that can minimize the risk of an overly specific misdiagnosis. Just my $0.02.

You can get in earlier if symptoms are deemed urgent. My son was on a long waiting list a few years ago when he said something about killing the baby. I was in a high risk pregnancy. I called the psychologist and got an urgent appointment slot the next day. Thankfully it turned out to be an impulsive ADHD tantrum. Keep the urgent appointment option in mind if she starts showing aggressive behavior.

I found cognitive behavioral therapy workbooks most helpful for my son. The psychologist was all about reward charts and that made my son worse! Think Good Feel Good workbook gets my recommendation. It's a tiny bit cheesy, but the teen workbooks don't apply well to elementary age relationships. If she is struggling socially in school, 100 Social Rules book is excellent for defining what to do when. That book helped my son turn his behavior around!

I hope you're able to get the help you need. It's really hard to have a kid who is struggling like that.

I'm chiming in to mention that there might be a medical or organic root cause, as well as the other possibilities mentioned upthread, so I wanted to add the suggestion to talk to your pediatrician or GP about ruling out conditions that could cause behavioral issues.

(In our case, it was long-undiagnosed celiac disease that contributed to increasing anxiety, irritability, tantrums/meltdowns, depressions, etc. culminating in suicidal talk and destructive behavior. Getting her on a gluten-free diet helped, as has supplementing with magnesium and vitamin D; she's still not easy but miles better, and we see the irrationality and short fuse come back when she's inadvertently exposed to trace amounts gluten via cross-contamination.)

Not saying it's necessarily celiac in your situation, but I want to make sure that you have potential organic causes on your radar, since pretty much all the professionals we consulted over years overlooked it.