Your Child's Struggles Don't Define Them

You don’t have to figure that out on your own. At BetterPlace, your child’s first consultation is a 90-minute session with both a child psychologist and a psychiatrist. Together, they understand your concerns, your child’s behaviour, development and emotional wellbeing, and then recommend the right treatment plan.

Start by telling us what you have been noticing. You don’t need to know the diagnosis or which specialist your child needs before booking an appointment. Our psychologist and psychiatrist assess your child together and guide you towards the right next step, whether that involves therapy, further assessment, medical support or a combination of approaches.

You don’t need to choose. At BetterPlace, both a psychologist and a psychiatrist are involved in your child’s initial consultation, so we can look at the complete picture before deciding what kind of support would help. This also means you won’t need to visit different clinics or coordinate between specialists yourself.

Consider speaking to a professional if you notice persistent or significant changes in your child’s mood, behaviour or everyday functioning. This might include excessive worrying, frequent anger or tantrums, aggression, withdrawal, sadness, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep or eating, declining school performance, social difficulties or developmental concerns. What matters is not one isolated behaviour, but how often it happens, how intense it is and how much it affects your child’s daily life.

Yes. Anger and tantrums can happen for many reasons, and the behaviour itself does not always tell us what is causing it. We first try to understand what is happening underneath, including emotional, behavioural, developmental, family or school-related factors. Based on this assessment, our team creates a treatment plan suited to your child and family.

It could be, but difficulty concentrating or sitting still does not automatically mean your child has ADHD. ADHD involves a broader pattern of difficulties with attention, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity, and these need to be assessed in the context of your child’s development and everyday life. Our team can assess your child properly before recommending any treatment.

Not necessarily. Medication is not automatically prescribed just because your child sees a psychiatrist. We consider your child’s symptoms, age, diagnosis, severity and individual needs before recommending treatment. Where appropriate, we try non-medication approaches first. If medication is clinically needed, the psychiatrist will discuss it with you, monitor your child closely and use it only for as long as it remains necessary and beneficial.

That depends on your child’s needs. There is no single treatment plan that works for every child. After the initial assessment, our psychologist and psychiatrist decide what approach would be most appropriate. Your child may need therapy, parent guidance, further assessments, medication, or a combination of these. We then review their progress and adjust the treatment plan as their needs change.

The BetterPlace clinic is open from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm on Monday through Saturday.