Providing behavioral health services targeting the unique needs of children and families of service members -- Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve and Veteran.
About Our Program:
At Kennedy Krieger Institute, we know that children and adolescents in military families experience unique stressors. We also recognize that military families represent great diversity, and a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. Our trained staff of behavioral psychologists includes practitioners with military backgrounds or training in military culture who understand the stresses these families face. We have multiple locations, as well as a telehealth program.
We have a team of expert clinicians who are trained in culturally informed care for military families. Our clinicians provide therapy to children, adolescents and young adults (individuals up to age 25 who are still under their family’s TRICARE) with emotional and behavior difficulties that often accompany deployment and other military stressors.
Examples of Treatment Targets:
- Adjustments to deployment and relocations
- Aggression
- Anxiety
- Attention difficulties
- Bullying
- Depression
- Eating/feeding problems
- Family conflict
- Hyperactivity and impulsivity
- Low frustration tolerance
- Noncompliance or defiance
- Problems with peers
- School behavior and academic problems
- Selective Mutism
- Self-esteem
- Sleep and bedtime problems
- Social skills
- Tantrums and outbursts
- Toileting problems
Our Treatment Services:
Our services include a combination of individual, family, and group therapy, as clinically appropriate.
Our treatment approach includes behavioral interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, family systems, and developmental perspectives. We also train parents in problem-solving strategies and educate them in child development and childhood disorders. Clinicians provide evidence-based treatment (supported by research) that is tailored to the needs of each child and family.
In addition to working directly with families, we also collaborate with schools, daycare centers, pediatricians, psychiatrists, and other medical or behavioral health providersto ensure that our patients have access to all the services they need.
Telebehavioral Health for Military Families:
We provide HIPAA-compliant telebehavioral health services for military families in the privacy of their homes. Families connect via secure videoconferencing directly to their dedicated psychologist at Kennedy Krieger. Telehealth can be particularly helpful for families experiencing frequent moves so that they can keep their established provider. We have psychologists who can provide telehealth services in many states via the PSYPACT interstate compact. A current list of eligible states include:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
For more information on PSYPACT, click here or contact us.
Group Therapy:
We are excited to offer services via Group Therapy. Group therapy sessions can include child/adolescent only, parent only, or a combination of the two. Group therapy sessions typically last for 6 to 12 weeks. To ensure our military families have easy access to our group therapy sessions, group therapy is currently occurring via telehealth. The following are common Group Therapy themes:
ADHD-focused behavioral parent group
- To help caregivers understand their child’s diagnosis and behavior, develop healthy routines, teach their child new skills, and problem-solve consequences to challenging behaviors.
Behavioral parent training group
- For caregivers of school-aged children who display challenging behavior. Caregivers will learn to improve their understanding of and ability to manage common behavior concerns, prevent problematic behaviors from happening, and teach children alternative skills.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- For teens and their caregivers to learn skills to address challenging emotions, develop healthier coping strategies, promote healthy social relationships as well as build resiliency.
Executive functioning and academic concerns
- For teens and their caregivers to learn skills to address academic challenges, work collaboratively to promote independence, and work with their teachers and school systems
LGBTQ
- For teens to build skills to promote stress management and resilience as well as gain support around common stressors.
Our Leadership Team:
Our leadership team has extensive experience providing for the behavioral health needs of children and adolescents in military families.
Referrals and Appointments:
Kennedy Krieger Institute is a TRICARE Humana (Prime, Select, and USFHP) provider.
To make a referral or schedule an appointment, please call (443) 923-7508 or Maryland Relay 711 (from within Maryland) or 667-205-4900 (from outside of Maryland). Referral specialists are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
