If your child is in crisis, call 911 or Mobile Crisis Intervention:
Worcester 24-hour access number: 1-866-549-2142 (Community HealthLink, Inc)
MetroWest 24-hour access number: 1-800-640-5432 (Advocates)
North County 24-hour access number: 1-800-977-5555 (Community HealthLink, Inc.)
South County 24-hour access number: 1-800-294-4665 (Riverside Community Care)
Additional emergency numbers:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org
Crisis counselor
Connect with a Crisis Counselor by texting HOME to 741741
Community services informational and referral hotline: 211
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (8255)
Parent Stress Line: 1-800-632-8188
At Child Health Associates we are dedicated to enhancing the growth, development, and well-being of all children, from birth through adolescence including your child’s mental and behavioral health.
Our Behavioral Health Staff are available to our patients to provide consultation and/or referrals for mild to moderate emotional and behavioral challenges by providing
- Clinical assessment with treatment recommendations
- Individual and Family support
- Information and resources related to education, behavioral and developmental needs
If your child requires further support, our behavioral health department will provide a list of community providers and services.
We also have a Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist on staff to provide psychiatric consultation to primary care physicians. Your child’s primary care physician may request a psychiatric evaluation and if appropriate, brief medication management to treat:
- Anxiety disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorders
- Mood disorders
- Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorders
- Disruptive disorders
- Trauma and stress-related disorders
Behavioral health resources
Screening forms:
Recommended book resource list
Children & Parents: Anxiety
Toddler - Kindergarten
- A Little Spot of Anxiety: A Story About Calming Our Worries, by Diane Alber (ages 3-9)
- Anxiety Relief for Kids, by Rachel Stone (workbook)
- Breathe Like a Bear, by Kira Wiley
- Breathe, by Scott Magoon
- Can’t You Sleep Little Bear?, by Marten Waddell
- CBT Workbook for Kids, by Heather Davidson
- Cool Cats, Calm Kids, by Mary L. Williams
- Dogger, by Shirley Hughes
- Dogs Don’t Do Ballet, by Anna Kemp
- Growing Up Brave, by Donna Pincus
- Harry McClarey, by Lynley Dodd
- How Big Are Your Worries Little Bear, by Jayneen Sanders
- Is A Worry Worrying You?, by Ferida Wolff and Harriet Savitz (ages 4-8)
- Listening with My Heart, by Gabi Garcia
- Llama Llama Misses Mama, by Anna Dewdney
- Mommy Don’t Go, by Elizabeth Crary
- No Matter What, by Debi Glori
- Outsmart Worry, by Dawn Heubner
- Ready… Set… R.E.L.A.X., by Jeffrey Alan and Roger Klein
- Scaredy Squirrel, by Melanie Watt
- The Invisible String, by Patricia Karst
- The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn
- The Monster at the End of the Book, by Jon Stone
- The Owl That Was Afraid of the Dark, by Jill Tomlenson
- The Worry Box, by Suzanne Chiew
- The Worry Workbook for Kids, by Muniya Khanna and Deborah Roth Ledley
- Thunder Cake, by Patricia Palacco, (reading can be found on YouTube)
- Up & Down the Worry Hill: A Children’s Book About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Its Treatment, by Aureen Pinto Wagner
- What a Bad Dream, by Mercer Mayer
- When I Miss You, by Cornelia Maude Spelman
- When Lions Roar, by Robie Harris
- When My Worries Get Too Big, by Kari Dunn Buron (grade level 3-4)
- Wilma Jean the Worry Machine, by Julia Cook
- Worry, Worry, Go Away!, by Christine Adams
- You Go Away, by Dorothy Corey
6-12 Years
- A Terrible Thing Happened (PTSD), by Margaret Holmes
- Guts, by Raina Telegmeier, (Comic book specific to Emetophobia, fear of vomiting)
- I Bet I Won’t Fret: A Workbook to Help Children with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, by T.A. Sisemore
- I Don’t Want to Go to School, by Nancy Pando
- I Feel Worried! Tips for Kids on Overcoming Anxiety, by Donna Shea and Nadine Briggs
- Is a Worry Worrying You?, by Ferida Wolff and Harriet Savitz
- Outsmart Your Worry Tool Kit (ages 5-11)
- Playing with Anxiety: Casey’s Guide for Teens and Kids, by Reid Wilson, PhD, and Lynn Lysons, LICSW.
- (Free e-book; companion to Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous and Independent Children
- Up and Down the Worry Hill: A Children’s Book About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Its Treatment, by Aureen Pinto Wagner
- What to Do When Bad Habits Take Hold: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Nail Biting and More, by Dawn Heubner
- What to Do When You Dread Your Bed: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems With Sleep, by Dawn Heubner
- What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety, by Dawn Heubner
- What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming OCD, by Dawn Heubner
- What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems With Anger, by Dawn Heubner
- Willow Wonders, Why Do I Worry?, by Wynne Radcliffe and Kristin Beckstrom Radcliffe
- Win or Lose, I Love You!, by Lysa Terkeurst
Teens
- Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens: A Workbook to Break the Nine Thought Habits That Are Holding You Back, by Dr. Mary Karapetian Alvord
- Conquer Your Fears and Phobias for Teens: How to Build Courage and Stop Fear From Holding You Back, by Andrea Umbach, PsyD
- Feeling Better: CBT Workbook for Teens, by Rachel Hutt
- Free From OCD, by Timothy Sisemore, (Is a good workbook)
- Mindfulness for Teen Worry, by Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD
- Playing with Anxiety: Casey’s Guide for Teens and Kids, by Reid Wilson, PhD, and Lynn Lysons, LICSW. (Free e-book; companion to Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7
- Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous and Independent Children
- Stuff That Sucks: A Teen’s Guide to Accepting What You Can’t Change and Committing to What You Can, by Ben Sedley
- Stuff That’s Loud: A Teen’s Guide to Unspiraling When OCD Gets Noisy, by Ben Sedley and Lisa Coyne
- The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens: CBT and ACT Skills to Help You Build
- Social Confidence, by Jennifer Shannon, LMFT
- Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green
Parents
- Anxiety Relief for Kids: On the Spot Strategies to Help Child Conquer Worry and Avoidance, by Michael Tompkins and Bridget Flynn Walker
- Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous and
- Independent Children, by Reid Wilson, PhD, and Lynn Lyons, LICSW
- Help for Worried Kids: How Your Child Can Conquer Anxiety and Fear, by Cynthia G. Last
- Helping Your Anxious Child, by Ronald Rapee
- Helping Your Child Overcome Separation Anxiety or School Refusal, by Andrew Eisen and Linda Engler
- Parenting Your Anxious Child with Mindfulness and Acceptance: A Powerful New
- Approach to Overcoming Fear, Panic, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, by Christopher McCurry
- What to Do When Your Child Has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Strategies and Solutions, by Aureen Wagner
Parents: ADHD
Parents
- 101 Best Tips for ADHD, by Susan Ashley
- ADHD Parenting Handbook – Practical Advice for Parents, by Coleen Alexander-Roberts
- Calming the Chaos, by Jim Fay and Charles Fay
- Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood
- Through Adulthood, by Edward Hallowell and John Ratey
- Parenting Children with ADHD, by Vincent Monastra
- Putting on the Brakes – Activity Book for Kids with ADD or ADHD, by Patricia Quinn and Judy Stern
- Smart by Scattered, by Colin Guare and Peg Dawson
- Taking Charge of ADHD, by Russell Barkley
- The ADHD Book of Lists, by Sandra Rief
- The Everything Parent Guide to Children with Executive Functioning Disorder, by Rebecca Branstetter, PhD
Children & Parents: Toilet Training
Children
- A Potty for Me, by Karen Katz
- Everybody Poops, by Taro Gomi
- I’ve Finished, by Victoria Roberts
- It Hurts When I Poop, by Howard Bennett
- Once Upon a Potty, by Alona Frankel
- Potty Time with Elmo, Phoenix International Publications
- Potty, by Leslie Patricelli
- The New Potty, by Mercer Mayer
- The Potty Book for Boys, by Alyssa Capucilli
- The Potty Book for Girls, by Alyssa Capucilli
Parents
- No Cry Potty Training Solution, by Elizabeth Pantrey
- Potty Training Answer Book, by Karen Deerwester
- Potty Wise, by Grey Ezzo
- Stress Free Potty Training, by Sara Au and Peter Stanvinoha
- The Everything Guide to Potty Training, by Kim Bookout
- Toilet Training, by Vicki Lansk