Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Services in Las Vegas
Expert psychiatric evaluations, conservative medication management, and family-integrated therapy for teenagers aged 12 and older.
Watching your child or teenager struggle with their mental health is incredibly challenging. At Meridian Behavioral Health in Las Vegas, NV, we provide a structured, clinical, and highly compassionate environment for adolescents facing serious emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Unlike general pediatric care, our specialized **Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Services** offer deep expertise in diagnosing and treating complex conditions that emerge during puberty and high school, consistent with research from the National Institute of Mental Health. We strictly serve ages 12 and older, recognizing that navigating the tumultuous middle and high school years requires highly specialized knowledge of adolescent brain development.
Our board-certified psychiatric providers and licensed psychotherapists collaborate closely under one roof. We emphasize **conservative medication management**—never rushing to prescribe—while pairing any pharmacological intervention with robust, evidence-based therapy to ensure the adolescent develops lifelong coping skills rather than relying solely on medication.
Conditions We Treat in Adolescents
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity (ADHD)
Comprehensive evaluation to differentiate ADHD from trauma or anxiety. We provide careful, monitored stimulant and non-stimulant prescribing.
Severe Anxiety & Panic
Treating school refusal, intense social anxiety, and panic attacks that disrupt the teenager's ability to attend classes or socialize safely.
Major Depressive Disorder
Addressing isolation, self-harm risks, and significant drops in academic performance through careful psychiatric monitoring and behavioral activation.
Trauma & PTSD
Utilizing renowned therapies like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) tailored specifically for the adolescent brain to process disturbing events.
Behavioral Dysregulation
Working with intense anger outbursts, emotional lability, and conflict in the home by teaching distress tolerance and family communication strategies.
Medication Management
Ongoing psychiatric care for teens already on medication who need dosage adjustments, monitoring, or tapering by an advanced practitioner.
A Collaborative Treatment Approach for Families
Treating an adolescent requires an entirely different clinical paradigm than treating an adult. We operate on a 'Family-Integrated' model. While the teenager always receives their legally and ethically mandated confidentiality, parents and caregivers are crucial participants in the overarching treatment plan.
Conservative Prescribing
Our psychiatric team utilizes the "start low, go slow" methodology for developing brains, prioritizing therapy whenever possible before advancing to pharmacological options.
Caregiver Alignment
We provide parents with the education and language necessary to reinforce the coping skills the adolescent is learning in our Las Vegas therapy sessions.
Holistic Care Coordination
When necessary, we communicate with school counselors and pediatricians to ensure a wide safety net is wrapped around the patient.
When a Level of Care Change is Needed
Meridian Behavioral Health is an outpatient clinic. If your teenager is actively suicidal, experiencing active psychosis, or engaging in severe self-harm that requires round-the-clock supervision, outpatient therapy is not sufficient.
For immediate psychiatric emergencies with a minor, please go directly to the nearest emergency room or dial 988 immediately for crisis support. Outpatient care is the appropriate step following discharge from an inpatient facility.
View Local Mental Health Resources →Answers for Parents & Guardians
What ages do you see?
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Are parents involved in therapy sessions?
Do you treat behavioral issues related to school refusal?
Expert Psychiatric Care for Your Teen
Timely intervention during adolescence can alter the trajectory of a child's entire life. Trust our Las Vegas clinical team to provide the expert, conservative guidance your family deserves.