Pediatric Psychiatry

From diagnostic evaluations to medication management to therapy, our providers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Child and Adult Psychology provide expert, personalized psychiatric care for your child, helping them manage symptoms, build resistance, and grow.

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For all requests:

1-888-573-5437

When your child faces emotional, behavioral, or developmental challenges, it can impact every part of their life — and yours. These struggles can be overwhelming for families, often affecting routines, relationships, and a child’s ability to thrive.

At University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital, our psychiatry team is committed to promoting the emotional, social, and behavioral well-being of your child. We provide services tailored to their unique needs and support their growth at home, in school, and in their communities.

Comprehensive support for mental health conditions

Children and adolescents may experience a wide range of mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, mood disorders, or trauma-related conditions. Our psychiatry team combines medication management with evidence-based therapies to support your child’s emotional and behavioral health.

Specialized programs for complex needs

In addition to general mental health care in our clinic, our psychiatry team offers a variety of specialized programs designed to meet the unique needs of your child, including:

Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry Unit. A dedicated 15-bed unit providing intensive psychiatric care, with integrated school, gym, and therapeutic activities.
Adolescent Crisis Stabilization Unit. Short-term, intensive support for teens experiencing mental health emergencies.
Joint ADHD Clinic. A collaborative clinic where children are evaluated by both a psychiatrist and a psychologist, with ongoing medication management and behavioral interventions.
Neurocritical Care Clinic. In partnership with our neurology clinic, this clinic provides psychiatric screening and neuropsychological evaluation for children recovering from traumatic brain injuries.
Eating Disorder Program. A multidisciplinary approach to treating adolescents with eating disorders, including partial hospitalization.
Integrated care for neurodevelopmental disorders. Psychiatric support for children with conditions like autism, intellectual disabilities, and complex neurogenetic syndromes.
Collaborative clinics with other specialties. This includes partnerships with neurology, neurosurgery, sports medicine, and Iowa Health and Human Services to support children with co-occurring medical and psychiatric needs.

Our approach to psychiatric care

We take a multidisciplinary, family-centered approach to your child’s care. We know that family and caregiver involvement can make all the difference for your child’s journey toward resilience and growth. That’s why our care teams work directly with you to develop a treatment plan that addresses all of your child’s behavioral and emotional needs. We provide you with the resources you need to support your child’s needs at home and in daily life.

We bring together specialists from psychiatry, psychology, social work, and other pediatric specialty clinics—such as cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, and more — to deliver personalized, coordinated care that is mindful of all your child’s health goals.