Getting to know your child
At Children’s Minnesota’s mental health services program, we take the time to get to know your child even before the first visit. We understand that the key to helping your child lies in learning as much as we can about your child’s individual needs and concerns.
Since you know your child best, we’ll start by asking you some questions over the phone before we schedule a meeting. Having a little background about your child allows us to prepare for our first meeting and helps put everyone at ease.
If your child’s care journey begins at one of our psychological or psychiatric clinics, all services start with a referral, which helps us match your child with the right provider and care setting, making the first visit less stressful.
Preparing for a clinic visit
Arrive early for a smooth check‑in
To help us complete initial paperwork and focus on your child’s care, please plan to arrive about 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment. Don’t forget to bring:
- Your insurance information
- Any required co‑pay
Arriving prepared helps us spend more time on what matters most—talking with you and taking care of your child.
If you are submitting Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) paperwork, please review the instructions below to help ensure timely processing.
FMLA paperwork instructions
Before submitting your forms, please make sure all required sections are completed, including demographic information and the employee portion. Be sure to indicate whether you are requesting intermittent leave or continuous leave.
Completed FMLA forms can be submitted in one of the following ways:
- For Developmental Pediatrics, fax completed forms to 612‑813‑6953.
- For Psychiatry, fax completed forms to 651‑220‑6737.
- If you have access to the MyChildren’s Portal, you may upload a PDF version of your completed forms directly through the portal.
Incomplete forms may delay processing.
Preparing your child for their first clinic visit
Meeting with a new provider can be scary for some. Knowing what to expect helps make the first visit less stressful. You can help your child feel more comfortable by letting them know they will be meeting with a provider who is there to support them.
Your first visit
The first visit usually lasts 60 to 90 minutes. Your child will meet with one of our experienced mental health providers to talk about their concerns. Afterwards, we’ll come up with a personalized treatment plan that outlines the next steps of care. In some cases, we may recommend testing to help us make a diagnosis.
What a session with a mental health provider looks like
Meeting with a mental health provider — such as a licensed psychologist, social worker or supervised trainee — may include talking, playing, drawing or other activities that help us understand how your child feels, thinks and copes.
How therapy works
For therapy, we guide our patients through episodes of care. This means we will determine the primary goals and work toward addressing those through the therapy course. Patients will be ready for therapy completion at the end of the episode of care but can return for a different episode of care in the future if new concerns arise.
Reaching out at the hospital
Our staff also provides services to children who are patients at the hospital. We visit them in their rooms to help children cope during their hospital stay and learn how to adjust to their medical condition. We work closely with other hospital staff to make sure your child gets the right level of care. And, once your child goes home, we can continue to work with your child in our outpatient clinic if needed.
Partnering with you
You know your child best. So as your child’s treatment progresses, we’ll partner with you to make sure things are going smoothly. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact us and we’ll provide assistance. After all, that’s what we’re here for.
