Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) Portsmouth

Portsmouth Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) provides a mental health service for 5-18 year olds suffering with acute, chronic or server mental health problems. We provide assessment, treatment and support to young people and their families. Interventions include

individual therapy, groups, family therapy, medication, referral to other services where appropriate.

CAMHS staff are professionals who have had specialist training in child and adolescent mental health. The team includes nurses, mental health practitioners, therapists, psychiatrists, and psychologists

Take a virtual tour of our sites: 

• Falcon House
• Battenburg Child Development Centre

Portsmouth CAMHS Specialist Eating Disorder Service

For Young People, Parents & Carers

Telephone:  0300 123 6632

This team offers specialist treatment for young people with eating disorders. This may be anorexia, bulimia or binge eating.

Referral Form for Young People

Referral Form for Parents/Carers

Referral Form for Professionals

We are a multi-disciplinary team including a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Systemic Family therapist, Occupational Therapist, Clinical Psychologist, Eating Disorder Practitioner, Family Support worker and Business administrator. We are a small team who work closely together to  ensure that children and young people within our service receive the most appropriate care for their eating disorder. We are developing links with paediatric teams to ensure young people at high physical risk have their needs assessed and met.

After a comprehensive assessment that includes screening for neurodevelopmental factors we offer NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) concordant treatments. There is a range of treatments which can include:

Family Based Treatment:  This has the best evidence base for treating young people with eating disorders. It requires the whole family to attend weekly sessions where the family are supported and empowered to help the young person recover from their eating disorder.

Enhanced Family Support: This includes medical management where physical observations are done weekly with our family support worker. Home visits can be offered to understand what happens around mealtimes. Psychoeducation and nutritional advice is given and the aim is re-establishing regular eating and weight restoration.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): CBT is a structured treatment that helps explore thoughts, feelings and behaviours that the individual wants to change. This is most often offered in a group setting

Adolescent Focused Therapy (AFT): Individual therapy that focuses on identifying, tolerating and managing emotions as well as developing strategies to deal with the tasks of adolescence.

Parent/Carers Support Group: Aim of this group is to give parents/carers a space to share their experiences and learn from one another.

Multidisciplinary Review: All care plans and interventions are regularly reviewed by our whole team and under the over-arching supervision of the team’s Consultant Psychiatrist.

Referral criteria

CAMHS is a multi-disciplinary service providing a range of effective, evidence-based assessments, treatments and support for children and young people (5-18) from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds where there are concerns about their mental health.

• Depression.

• Eating Disorders.

• Neuro-Developmental Disorder.

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

• Psychosis.

• Self-harm.

• Severe and pervasive anxiety.