Fraser Health Authority has an adolescent day treatment program that provides services to youth who are experiencing severe psychiatric difficulties. Have you ever worked with youth with mental health disorders?
There was a time when the idea of children or adolescents being affected by a mental health disorder was not popular. With on-going research and studies, more attention is being focused on assessing pediatric mental health as well as physical health. While mental health medicine is an in-depth specialty, just like other medicine, adolescent mental health disorders are treated with a specific approach. Some mental health professionals choose to treat only adults. This could be because, as children grow and mature, there are so many changes (hormonal, personality, etc) that, unless one is specifically trained to identify adolescent disorders, certain treatment options may be overlooked. Fraser Health's adolescent day treatment program focuses on only adolescent psychiatric disorders. Share your thoughts with the interviewer.
"I think the healthcare professionals who choose psychiatry as a specialty field are an elite group. I have always been fascinated with the study of psychiatry. I have never worked directly with youth who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, but I have volunteered at a youth center that had some children there who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. It was difficult to see the way the disorder affected them."
"I worked part-time at a mental health clinic in (city) a few years ago. Although the majority of our clients were adults, we did have a few adolescent patients from time to time. I think having a day treatment program for adolescents is a great way to treat them on their own level and offer personal support."
