Child and Adolescent

Child and adolescent mental health care

The MHC Child and Youth team aims to give all children and young people a fair chance to develop as resilient adults. MHC provides mental health care for children and young people on Saba and St. Eustatius as well as on Bonaire. On the windward islands, this is possible with the deployment of a Child and Youth Psychiatrist, a GZ psychologist and (social) psychiatric nurses. On Bonaire, our care has recently been expanded with a large team and a brand new treatment center, called ‘Hi-5’. The care consists of ambulatory diagnosis, treatment and supervision of children and adolescents with a psychiatric or psychological frailty or problem along with their family.

For whom?
MHC Child & Youth is for children and young people between 0 and 18 years old with the following complaints:

  • anxiety, nervousness or gloom;
  • irritability/anger;
  • dejected feelings, listlessness (depression);
  • difficulty concentrating;
  • trouble eating and/or sleeping;
  • difficulty in dealing with peers/others;
  • problems with attachment or trauma;
  • addiction, including drug, game or alcohol addiction.

Ambulatory
The MHC Kind & Youth team works as ambulant as possible. Ambulatory means that guiding and treating the child or young person happens as much as possible in his or her familiar environment. In addition to home visits, consultations can also take place at the Hi-5 treatment center on Bonaire. If ambulatory care offers insufficient prospects for recovery, you can eventually opt for admission to the Hi-5 treatment center.

What do we do?
The MHC Child & Youth team takes a so-called systemic approach in the treatment of a child. This means that the whole family is involved in the examination, supervision and treatment. Individual and group treatments can also take place. All relevant habitats, such as education, housing, social functioning and daytime activities, are mapped. In the treatment process of MHC Kind & Youth, we distinguish three phases: the intake phase, the research phase and the treatment phase.

In the intake phase, information is obtained through conversations with and observations of the child and family, in order to get a good picture of the existing situation.

In the research phase, problems or concerns are identified through conversations, tests, observations and other research methods. The investigation phase is completed with a diagnosis.

The treatment phase follows after the research phase. After concrete treatment goals have been identified together with the child and the family, the treatment goals set will be worked on in this phase. It is possible that the child will receive therapy from a psychologist at this stage and the family may receive family treatment from the system therapist at the same time. When this phase is completed, the treatment is concluded. Of course, the aftercare also includes a follow-up process. During the completion of the aftercare process, we look at how the child and the family can be guided as well as possible by one of our collaborators.

Registration
A referral from the general practitioner or pediatrician is required for treatment at MHC Kind & Jeugd (standard referral letter). Registration then goes through the Bureaudienst to schedule an intake.

Location and contact details
MHC Child & Youth Bonaire / Hi-5
Kaya Mendelssohn z/n
Phone: +599 717 0125 (after language selection menu, #4 for Hi-5)

The Child and Youth department is open from 07:00 am untill 09:00 pm.

For MHC Saba & St. Eustatius, see address and telephone details below.