Looking for Recommendations for a Child Psychologist.

K.,

My 9 tr old son has a wonderful therapist- I called and talked to her on the phone for 45 minutes before I even made a committment to come see her. She used to be a school psychologist, now has her own practice- but has worked as an advocate for us with our school and the school counselors. She is kind, gentle- has helped my son tremendously with his anger management and social skills- as well as helping my husband and I be the best parents for him. At least call and talk to her!!

She is at Northwestern and 13 Mile Rd area. Alice Nasol is her name. ###-###-####. Good Luck!

T.

K. K
I saw your request and my heart sank. I have a 14 year old son with ADD and has some anxiety issues. I know you need answers and solutions, but some kind of diagnosis would be great as well. I do agree with you that a psychologists needs to spend time with the child to make this assessment more accurate. When my son was around 11, before we got our diagnosis and we were just trying to put out behavioral "fires", mainly at home, but also resolve some poor school grades, we talk with Jerry Urban at Advanced Counseling Services in Southfield on 12 and Telegraph.###-###-#### ext 129) The office has many child pyschologists/psychotherapists, so there is always kids in the waiting room. Jerry is extremely friendly and respectful of young people and plays games with the kids in his office to strike up conversations. He will talk with your son by himself for about 30 minutes and then bring you in by yourself for the remainder of time, about 15 minutes. At which point you can discuss things without your son in the room or he could be there if you like. Jerry is very flexible and easy to talk to. He is a psychotherapist, so he will be very helpful in your day to day issues as well as a resource if you need further testing or psychiatric evaluations. He is not one to over diagnose and doesn't like to label kids, but he may be able to help you evaluate your son's behavior and steer you in the right direction. I pray for you and your son as I know this is extremely stressful and worrisome. Take heart, you are not alone.

A. F.

I read a book called Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults, Webb (and others) that I recommend reading, even if you don't think he might be gifted. It gives such a good comparison of behaviors and disorders. We took our son to a woman named Judy Russell in Westland at Advanced Counseling. He had anxiety issues. We were happy with her, but she did eventually recommend drugs and we were not happy with the reaction he had. She didn't pressure us on drugs at all. I just decided it might be time because he was having anger issues that were causing real trouble at school. We took him off after 3 weeks. He spent about 4 months seeing her weekly with me in the room. 2 years later he's really come around and is doing very well in school. We had no issues at home, but we found that some sources of anxiety that began at home. Judy seems to understand anxiety and she didn't speak to him like a baby, the way the U of M Dr. did. That was a much nicer office, but she didn't "get" him. He has a high IQ and that was/is something to deal with. If you do suspect he may be gifted, there are a bunch of websites that will give priceless info. One thing I found out was its not very understood by the mental health community and isn't very often taken into consideration unless the kid is profoundly gifted, which my son is not. I suggest sticking to psychologists/therapists and stay away from psychiatrists unless the counselor suggests it. The difference is really a prescription pad. We also saw a woman on Canton Center Rd. in Canton whose name I've blocked out. After seeing him for several months she suggested ADHD and that was it for me. Having educated myself, that was one thing I was certain he didn't have. Good luck!

I go to Laura Feldmesser at Hiegra in Livonia on Levan just off 5 Mile. She is the most amazing therapist! I have been seeing her for 2 and 1/2 years. My 9 year old daughter is now seeing her for anxiety and anger issues. She has a very busy schedule unfortunately. I think they take most major insurances. I have BC/BS HMO and it's covered. Even if she doesn't have a time that works for you long-term, I'm sure she knows someone she trusts and respects professionally. The psychiatrist there, Dr. Zuniga is also great and very down to earth and friendly, not to mention has an extra degree in pharmacology. I hope this helps you!!

I know of a couple of them. It depends on if you have insurance or if you pay out of pocket. I have 3 special needs kids that I adopted and have used psychologist for years. A good doctor is very hard to find.
Feel free to give me a call. The doctors I am thinking about are located in Farmington Hills and Novi.
C.
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Where are you located? I have friends that specialize in this area and know the good doctors to go to - also depending on your insurance and if you are looking for counseling or medication or both. Feel free to contact me and I will check with my friends and let you know.

My son is presently seeing Dr. Stanley Szczotka at his private practice in Plymouth for anxiety. We started seeing him through St. Joe's but when the insurance changed we had to go private. It's been well worth it! We were just there yesterday and he was really happy with the progress. He has a reputation for being very good, especially with children.

His phone number is ###-###-#### and he has a web site as well - ____@____.com, he spcializes in Behavior Change and Life Transitions.

I hope this helps. I feel for you and your situation.

K. T.

My daugher was just diagnosed with a Sensory Processing Disorder. I am still learing about it, however, I can tell you that I have read quite a bit about how attention issues and behavioral issues with kids are often Sensory Processing Issues and that Therapy can be considerably helpful and successful.

Here is a website you may want to look at and so some research of your own.

www.input.com.au

Good Luck!