Dr. Miller specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of numerous mental health conditions in children including:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress and Trauma
- Mood Disorders
- ADHD
- Problems at home or school
- Autism and other Developmental Disorders
- Learning Disabilities and Neurodiversity
- Disruptive Behavior
What to expect:
You may have hopes that the changes you observe in your child are a “passing stage”. But over time, knowing your child best and perhaps through consultation with your child’s teachers or pediatric medical provider you make the decision to seek help. Garrison Keillor once said, “Nothing we do for children is ever wasted”. This is Dr. Miller’s belief each time he enters an initial consultation with parents and their child.
An initial consultation is arranged for 90 minutes. You will be asked about your child’s birth and early development, complete several rating scales about your child’s emotions and behavior and have an opportunity to discuss your concerns and questions with Dr. Miller.
Dr. Miller will then spend time directly with your child engaging in developmentally appropriate and engaging activities and questions to assist your child in being at ease while simultaneously evaluating your child’s emotional and behavioral health.
Afterwards, Dr. Miller will share his impressions with you and make recommendations for treatment and follow-up. You will then have input and agree on an initial treatment plan.
Depending on the age of your child and the diagnosis, Dr. Miller uses only evidence-based treatments including behavior therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, family therapy and parent consultation and training during treatment.
Treatment sessions are 53-60 minutes in length and the frequency and duration of treatment is determined by the significance of the problem and your child’s progress with your input. While the number of sessions varies, 10-22 sessions is typical depending on your child’s difficulties. Some children respond more quickly in as little as 6 sessions again depending on the frequency and intensity of each child’s presenting problem. Dr. Miller typically does not provide treatment for long periods of time, but every child deserves high quality and compassionate treatment. And once your child becomes a patient, they may be seen for follow up in the future if a similar or new problem emerges.
As treatment progresses, Dr. Miller uses reliable and valid measures to assess your child’s progress approximately every six sessions collaborating with the parent regarding progress and next steps.
Dr. Miller may ask permission from you to discuss your child with their medical provider. It is also important that you bring any educational documents and medical records with you to the initial consultation. Some examples of these records include school psychological evaluations, previous mental health records and any important medical records such as a letter of referral from your child’s physician, EEG’s, CT scans and MRIs. If you don’t have these, don’t worry, with your permission, Dr. Miller’s office can get them.