UF Health Psychology – Springhill

UF Health Psychology is co-located with UF Health Child Psychiatry - Springhill

At UF Health Psychology, treatment options are aimed at helping children and adolescents with behavioral and mood disorders. Our team of experienced psychologists, therapists and nurse practitioners works together to formulate the best treatment plan for all patients. Unlike their colleagues at UF Health Child Psychiatry, the UF Health Psychology team members do not prescribe medication, provide medical management or crisis intervention for emergency situations. Instead, they work together with the psychiatrist to provide comprehensive care that may include individual, group and family therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention and/or parent-child interaction therapy.

Our knowledgeable clinical team is able to offer a variety of services, including second opinions, school advocacy, psycho-educational testing and psychotherapy. 

Specialty Programs

Parent-child interaction therapy

The treatment team at UF Health Psychology specializes in parent-child interaction therapy, or PCIT. PCIT is a short-term treatment program for young children and caregivers. Through weekly therapy sessions, parents and/or caregivers learn new strategies and skills for improving their child’s behavior. During these visits, parents practice new skills with their child while the therapist observes and provides feedback.

PCIT benefits:

• Improved child behavior
• Effective discipline
• Reduction in caregiver stress
• Better relationship between caregiver and child

PCIT is ideal for children ages 3 to 7 who have any of the following concerns:

• Disruptive behaviors (tantrums, not listening, not following rules, aggression, destructive)
• Separation from parental figures
• History of trauma or undue stress
• Anxiety or depression
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Exposure to drugs or alcohol
• Chronic illness

For more information about PCIT, or to schedule your first appointment, call 352.265.4357 today.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Program

Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects over 2 million individuals in the United States. The UF Health Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Program offers intensive treatment featuring cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, which has been shown to reduce symptoms by at least 50 percent. CBT exposes triggers and teaches people to resist compulsions, with 85 percent of patients experiencing positive results. People are taught to respond to anxious thoughts in an adaptive and realistic manner. 

The OCD Program at UF Health Psychology offers intensive outpatient and weekly CBT treatments with pharmacological treatment coordinated as needed. Over an average of three weeks, patients meet with their designated therapists and receive assignments that encourage therapeutic exercises. The care team continues to work with the children and families even after the program ends by collaborating with other health care providers and caretakers.

For more information about our OCD treatment options, call 352.265.4357.