Behavior and Attention Management Program

A consult visit is a 1-hour telehealth (virtual) appointment with a mental health provider from the Behavior and Attention Management Program. During the visit, we talk with you to:

• Find out the main challenges your child and family are having and what you would like help with
• Choose treatments and services that would be a good fit for your concerns

This approach allows us to understand your needs and connect you with care faster.

• If your child is 12 years old or older: They will need to be at the visit. We will talk with them on their own.
• If your child is under 12 years old: They do not need to be at the visit.

By the end of the consult visit, we will recommend next steps. We may recommend care in the Behavior and Attention Management Program, in other Seattle Children’s clinics or programs or in the community.

To schedule a consult, ask your child’s primary care provider for a referral.

Learn more about what to expect during a consult visit (PDF).

(In some instances, you may not need a consult visit. New patients can be referred to the following without a consult visit: ADHD First Steps Parent Education Class [PDF], Disruptive Behavior Crisis Clinic, Foundations for Managing Disruptive Behavior and Intensive Caregiver Group for Managing Disruptive Behavior. You can learn more about these offerings later on this webpage under “Specialized Treatments and Services.”)

The Behavior and Attention Management Program offers different treatment options based on how often families can participate and the level of services needed. This approach is called stepped care.

During your consult visit, we will decide which level of care best matches your concerns. After your child and family start getting services, you may “step up” or “step down” to other levels based on how your child is doing and what they need next.

Stepped care lets us quickly connect families with methods to prevent mild problems from getting worse. It also lets us serve families who need intensive treatment for the most complex challenges.

Most families begin stepped care by taking part in a class or group therapy. Some go right to more intensive services.

The best way to improve behavior and attention is to use proven strategies each day in real-life settings like home, school and the community. This leads to better results than 1-on-1 therapy in a clinic.

At Seattle Children’s, we focus on teaching parents and caregivers strategies to use with their children every day. This approach is called PBMT. Research and experience tell us that sharing evidence-based knowledge and skills with you is the best thing we can do to support you and your child. PBMT has been shown to:

• Improve parent and caregiver confidence
• Increase the use of positive parenting techniques
• Lead to behavior change in children

We have several group therapy options to help you learn more about behavior management. Groups like SuperParenting and Incredible Years also support you as you find what works best for your family.

(Spanish)

Providers on the Behavior and Attention Management team do leading-edge research to learn more about helping children and families and getting services to them more quickly.

Your child may be able to take part in research even if you have to wait for a consult visit. Learn more.

PEARL offers evaluations for children and adolescents with concerns about attention, behavior and learning. (This is different from a Behavior and Attention Management Program consult visit.) During a diagnostic evaluation, we talk with you and your child separately to discuss concerns and check for signs of ADHD. We also talk about your child’s medical history, review their school records and identify their strengths. Before the end of the visit, we explain our findings. We also talk with you about any treatments we recommend.

Some new patients are referred directly to a PEARL diagnostic evaluation. Other new patients start with a consult visit first to decide if they need a diagnostic evaluation. Not all children with behavior or attention problems need this type of evaluation.

Learn more about PEARL.

This web-based video class is for caregivers of children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with ADHD or may have ADHD. We cover topics like what causes ADHD; which treatments are supported by science; and how parents, teachers and schools can help children with ADHD.

To join the class, you need a referral to ADHD First Steps from your child’s primary care provider or community mental health provider. Your child does not have to be a patient of Seattle Children’s already, and you do not need to have a consult visit with us first.

Learn more about ADHD First Steps (PDF).

If you are a foster or kinship caregiver, this group is a place to connect with other parents and caregivers. You will learn how to bond with and support the children in your care, encourage positive behaviors and manage challenging behaviors. Sessions are telehealth (virtual) visits. Children do not attend.

Seattle Children’s offers this group (which we also call FAST-B Foster Caregiver Skills Group) in partnership with the Harborview Foster Care Center of Excellence. You need to have a consult visit with the Behavior and Attention Management Program first. Ask your child’s primary care provider to refer your child to “Foster Caregivers Group” in outpatient psychiatry.

Find out the dates for our next session of this skills group (PDF).

SuperParenting is a group program based on treatments that have been shown to help parents improve their child’s behavior, coping skills, relationships and well-being. You will learn ways to connect and communicate with your child or teen, encourage more positive behaviors and respond to challenging behaviors. Sessions are telehealth (virtual) visits. Kids do not attend.

We offer 2 groups:

• One group for caregivers of children ages 5 to 11
• One group for caregivers of adolescents ages 12 to 15 at the time of referral

The first step is a consult visit with the Behavior and Attention Management Program to decide whether SuperParenting matches your family’s needs. Many families begin treatment in the Behavior and Attention Management Program by coming to SuperParenting. Many find it so helpful that they do not need further services.

Learn more about SuperParenting Children (ages 5 to 11) (PDF) and SuperParenting Teens (ages 12 to 15) (PDF).

Incredible Years is an evidence-based treatment shown to help parents and caregivers of children who have behavior problems. In this group program, you will learn ways to help reduce challenging behaviors and increase your child’s social, emotional, learning and self-control skills. Sessions are telehealth (virtual) visits. Kids do not attend.

Incredible Years is more intensive than SuperParenting. It meets for longer sessions over more weeks and includes two 1-on-1 sessions with a group leader. Some families begin with Incredible Years. Others “step up” to Incredible Years if they want more help after they do SuperParenting.

To join an Incredible Years group, you will have a consult visit first to see if this group is the best fit for your family. (For caregivers of children ages 2 to 5, an Incredible Years Preschool Basic Parent Group is available through Seattle Children’s Early Childhood Clinic.)

Learn more about Incredible Years (PDF).

This group program is for caregivers of children with attention, impulse control or behavior problems at school. It’s designed to help you work closely with your child’s teacher and school team. We support you in setting up a plan to increase communication between home and school and change your child’s most pressing behaviors. Sessions are telehealth (virtual) visits. Kids do not attend.

To take part in this program, you will have a consult visit first with the Behavior and Attention Management Program.

Learn more about the Parent-School Partnership Consultation Group Program (PDF) (Spanish).

PATTERN is for tweens (ages 10 to 13) and their caregivers who struggle to manage intense emotions that affect the parent-child relationship. This program can help if your child has anxiety, depression, adjustment issues or behavior problems that lead to lasting conflict.

Both you and your tween will attend most sessions. A few sessions are for caregivers only. Caregivers also meet with a group leader for short 1-on-1 coaching sessions. All sessions are telehealth visits.

Most caregivers complete SuperParenting or Incredible Years before joining PATTERN. Families who are new to the Behavior and Attention Management Program will need a consult visit first.

Learn more about PATTERN (PDF) (Spanish).

STAND is for teens with ADHD, learning problems or trouble keeping track of and organizing things. The teen attends the sessions with their primary caregiver. Sessions are telehealth (virtual) visits.

The STAND program is for youth in 6th through 10th grades. In weekly sessions, we focus on helping your teen improve their organization, motivation and ability to do things on their own at home and school. Your teen will choose personal goals to work on and practice ways to help meet these goals. You will learn ways to promote and encourage your teen’s independence and motivation.

To join STAND, you will have a consult visit first so we can check if this program matches your teen and family’s needs.

Learn more about STAND (PDF).

The Disruptive Behavior Crisis Clinic helps parents and caregivers of children ages 5 to 12 who are having a mental health crisis related to behavioral issues. We serve families who have been in or are at risk of coming to the emergency department or think they need immediate 911 intervention. We aim to support families with quick access to 4 visits held 1 day a week with a mental health provider.

Your child will need a referral, but you do not need a consult visit before getting care from this clinic.

Learn more about the Disruptive Behavior Crisis Clinic, including how to get referred.

For families who need more support after their Disruptive Behavior Crisis Clinic sessions, we offer a group therapy option: the Disruptive Behavior Caregiver Group, which lasts 13 weeks and runs about 2 to 3 hours a week.

Foundations for Managing Disruptive Behavior is a series of 1-on-1 therapy sessions for caregivers of children ages 5 to 12 who struggle with extreme emotion and the inability to regulate their behavior. This can lead to issues at home, at school and in the community. Our goal is to serve families who need more help after trying other options, including the emergency department or hospital stays. We teach families how to help their child manage their emotions and behaviors.

Caregivers meet 1-on-1 with a therapist 2 times a week and a peer partner 1 time a week. A peer partner is someone who has experience living with a child in crisis. Sessions are 1 hour. The series goes for 5 weeks.

We accept referrals from the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit, the Emergency Department and the Disruptive Behavior Crisis Clinic through Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Seattle Children’s. We also accept referrals from other emergency departments in Washington state.

For families who need more support after Foundations, we offer group therapy options:

• Disruptive Behavior Caregiver Group, which lasts 13 weeks and runs about 2 to 3 hours a week
• Intensive Caregiver Group for Managing Disruptive Behavior, which lasts 12 weeks and runs about 5.5 hours a week

This group is for caregivers of children ages 5 to 12 who have extreme levels of emotion and are unable to control their behaviors at home, at school or in the community.

It is a series of group therapy sessions for families who need more help after trying other options. The series lasts 12 weeks and is about 5.5 hours a week. Caregivers come to all sessions. Your child will come to some sessions with you. You will also have some 1-on-1 time with a therapist and peer partner. 

We accept referrals from the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit, the Emergency Department and the Disruptive Behavior Crisis Clinic through Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Seattle Children’s. We also accept referrals from other local emergency departments in Washington state.

For families who need more support after the Intensive Caregiver Group, we offer another group therapy option: the Disruptive Behavior Caregiver Group, which lasts 13 weeks and runs about 2 to 3 hours a week.