Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

About the service

Our teams are made up of a number of clinical and professional people who are all trained and experienced in working with children, young people, families and carers. This includes specilist therapists (art, occupational and physiotherapy), nurses, psychologists and psychiatrists. 

We help the children and young people that we see, their families/carers, and their support network, which might include friends, teachers and social workers. Research and feedback from those who use our service tells us that working in this way is more likely to help children and young people get their lives back on track. The needs for each person and family may vary, so we have different approaches and kinds of support which we can use and tailor to the individual, to make their treatment most suitable for them 

Our aim is to help people to build their own skills, achieve their potential and be able to get the most out of their life.

The Portsmouth CAMHS Specialist Eating Disorder Service offers a range of specialist treatments for young people with a diagnosed eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder or other specified feeding disorder.

What we do

Our team of specialists provide assessment and treatment to children and young people up to age 18 who have emotional, behavioural or mental health problems. We help children and young people with things like the thoughts inside their head, the way they are feeling and the way they are behaving. Thoughts, feelings and behaviours affect each other and our team help children, young people, their families and carers understand how and why.

Some of our teams focus on working with particular groups of young people including those with learning disabilities or who are looked after.

We know that being told that you or someone close to you has a mental health condition can be difficult and will support you through this process.

Accessing the service

You can talk to a GP, teacher or social worker about getting an appointment with us - known as making a referral - if you think you need specialist support.

You can also make a referral via the Hampshire CAMHS website.

You can also approach us yourself by giving us a call on 0300 304 0050, Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. Our trained mental health staff will talk to you about the issues you are having and how we, or one of our partner organisations, may be able to help.

If you are registered with a Southampton City GP and aged between 5-18 you can also access our Southamptom City CAMHS service by calling the number on this page or using the Southampton City CAMHS referral form. Similarly, if you are aged between 5-18 and and registered with a Portsmouth City GP you can access the Portsmouth CAMHS Specialist Eating Disorder Service.