Our Process

Our board-certified pediatric mental health psychiatrist, psychologists, and nurse practitioners collect information regarding a child's social, emotional and psychiatric history, paying special attention to genetic, medical, developmental, educational, social and family factors to make a diagnosis and determine the best care for each patient.

The goal is to provide support and solutions for children and families through collaboration with their primary care physicians. Our psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse practitioners may prescribe medication, change medication, or recommend behavioral strategies before returning patients to the referring pediatrician. CHKD can help parents connect with appropriate primary pediatric care, if needed, and provide telephone consultation to the child's primary care provider.

Conditions We Evaluate 

How Often Will My Child See The Child Psychiatrist? 

Instead of seeing children on an ongoing basis, we provide outpatient consultation, consisting of several visits, to diagnose and make treatment recommendations. 

Where Do You See Patients? 

CHKD's Psychiatry and Psychology office is located in Children's Medical Tower on the main CHKD campus in Norfolk. Appointment days and hours are generally Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Insurance and Referral Information

If you have an HMO, you must:  

  • Get a referral from your child's primary care physician before you call to make an appointment. 
  • Make sure that your referral has not expired. Many are good for only 30 days, so check yours before you come to your appointment. If your referral has expired, call your primary care physician and explain your situation. In most cases, your primary care physician will provide a new or extended referral. 
  • Bring the referral with you to the appointment. If you do not have a referral, or if the referral you have is expired, your HMO will not pay for your appointment.  

If you have fee-for-service insurance or a PPO, you do not need a physician's referral to make an appointment. 

We offer in-depth information about insurance in our billing and insurance section.