Kaiser Pediatric Mental Health?

Overall, it's not a coordinated approach, and very difficult to 1) locate and 2) get access to the services you need for your child. I wish I had some concrete advice for you, but after 2 years with my now 8 yo on the mental health side (with anxiety), I don't really. You need to get a mental health "captain" assigned to your child, which will probably be a MSW. Pick your facility (go with Oakland unless a compelling reason to pick Richmond or San Leandro, Oakland has the most staff and resources [which isn't saying much]). You will likely be funnelled to a group, which I felt was very much a mixed bag for anxiety, since my son DEFINITELY picked up on some of the other kids' anxiety triggers. The different facilities don't talk to each other, and Oakland staff don't know what is offered at Richmond (for example). Your son's medical doctors also aren't automatically able to see his mental health records, so much for coordinated care and the whole person.

You may also decide to go out of pocket for a private therapist. Only you know if that's a reasonable financial choice for you, but our copay for each group was $50, and private providers can start around $100.
 

Thank you so much for your reply.  This is what I was afraid of - lack of coordinated care and being automatically funneled into a group.   Thanks again.

Hi, I am sorry to hear about your son's issues. My son also began to display the same kinds of symptoms at around the same age. We received excellent care from Dr. Alex Klein (psychologist) at Kaiser Oakland, along with Dr. Gershon (psychiatrist). My son is now 13  and he is happy and thriving after a rough couple of years. Some things that helped:  weekly group therapy at Kaiser and one on one therapy as needed, Zoloft and an occasional Benadryl for anxiety spikes, lots of exercise (walking, kickboxing, Fitness Blender videos), and a very stable home routine. We also got our son a dog which has been so good for him. I wish you the best of luck. 

Good luck. I didn't have the best experience with pediatric mental health at Kaiser, though we have had good luck with adult mental health.

We currently see a wonderful pediatric psychiatrist at KP in Pleasanton for my 8 yo son. It did take a bit to get in to see this dr but he is terrific and well worth it. Before that, we had to work the KP system: referral from our pediatrician, initial visits with a psychologist, attempt to address issues with therapy (two solo visits with psychologist), and a brief attempt at the anti-anxiety group therapy. Once it was confirmed that meds were needed, we started seeing the psychiatrist and it's been smooth since then. We do have to be flexible about appointments bc it's clear there are more patients than the dr could ever see. We've also seen a neuropsychologist at KP Oakland who was extremely helpful. Overall, I'm pleased with our experience, so I'd give it a go with KP before exploring out of pocket options. I've had a few "non-KP" friends struggle getting good pediatric mental health support too.

I have found an AMAZING therapist named Dr. Schabes in the Kaiser in Antioch (sorry). But she has rocked our world! I know you will see low marks but honestly most people do not understand that therapy takes homework. I know Antioch is a bit of a drive for you but honestly she is AWESOME

We have really liked working with Dr Klein at Kaiser Oakland for our son's OCD. (He was the same age as yours.)

Ask for a referral to Magellan. That's their program that allows you to see providers in the community. There's a little bit of paperwork to jump through, but it ensures you can get one on one therapy (psychiatrist, therapist or both). It's even better if you can request a provider you want to see. That can be complicated to find out who takes Magellan. 

I highly recommend PCPA providers. They have an office that helps schedule so you aren't stuck leaving voicemails. They have offices in SF and Walnut Creek and some providers who see patients in Berkeley. And they take Magellan referrals. PCPASF.com

I've been seeing them for years prior to Kaiser and after I switched to Kaiser via Magellan. 

Kaiser Richmond has really good pediatric psych services. First you have to make an appointment for an intake group and fill out a lot of paperwork. Then you get set up with a therapist who meets with you and your child to discuss therapy options. Most common is a group of some kind combined with individual therapy appointments. Dr. Purvey is great!

Bif you can get in to see him, Dr Eyal at Kaiser Richmond is excellent!  He's a psychiatrist, but is sharp and understands the impact on the family system.  Have no idea about therapy options, but if push comes to shove you can always demand to get approval to get out of network treatment. A good place  to look for referrals would be the International OCD Foundation website.

Best of luck!

I have to completely disagree with a poster who recommended Kaiser Richmond for high quality pediatric mental health, and also incorrectly described the process to start with Richmond mental health. We just went through it this spring. You have to go with your child to one of their regular Friday intake sessions; it's a half-day and they evaluate the children in a separate room, while one psychologist addresses the parents about the process. Then you have a private short consult with a randomly assigned staff person, and from there your child may or may not get x, y, or z service. The Oakland intake process is different. But that is Richmond's, and I felt it was very inflexible and tough on my child to miss a half-day of school. I also disagree with the specific recommendation for Dr Purvey, who runs at least two of the groups for elementary age kids; I found her to be flip and dismissive of children's concerns. Obviously mileage will vary and no one doctor/psychologist will suit everyone; just a reminder that here on the Internet, people will differ.