Specialty Psychiatric Services • New Jersey: in-person evaluations + in-person or telehealth follow-ups • Florida: telehealth
Child Psychiatry & Psychiatric Evaluation
A closer look at how a child’s attention, mood, behavior, and development fit together at ADHD, Mood & Behavior Center
Dr. Merritt Hubsher provides psychiatric evaluation and medication management for children ages 5 and up with concerns about attention, mood, anxiety, behavior, or development. Each evaluation looks at the whole picture, including family life, school, and how symptoms show up across settings, before anything is recommended.
The child evaluation at a glance
A first visit is a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation built around both you and your child.
Every first visit is a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation to ensure treatment is thoughtful and accurate.
When Parents May Consider a Psychiatric Evaluation
Parents tend to reach out after a pattern has built up, not after one hard day. Here’s what that often looks like:
School that’s getting harder
Falling grades, avoidance, or trouble with attention and organization.
Concerns that follow your child everywhere
Trouble at school, at home, and with friends, or reports from teachers that echo what you’re seeing.
Treatment that hasn’t helped
Earlier care or medication hasn’t brought the results you expected, or side effects have become a problem.
Emotions or behavior that feel bigger than the moment
Outbursts, irritability, worry, or sadness that seem out of proportion or hard to settle.
Development and social struggles
Questions about how your child is developing, or difficulty with friends and peers.
A need for a clearer picture
You want to understand what your child is experiencing before deciding what to do next.
Concerns Dr. Hubsher Evaluates in Children
Children often come in with several concerns at once. Dr. Hubsher evaluates how they connect, so recommendations rest on the full picture. These concerns often overlap, and Dr. Hubsher weighs them against your child’s full history instead of any one symptom.
Development and Family History
Dr. Hubsher asks how your child has developed over time: when concerns began, what has changed, and what runs in the family. He asks about strengths too, because what a child does well shapes what is likely to help. Because children often show distress through behavior instead of words, he looks for patterns across home, school, and friendships, including grades, teacher feedback, and how your child gets through the day. Home life, routines, and family stress belong in the picture as well.
School records and earlier testing help when you have them, but they’re generally not required. If the picture points toward a learning difference, the evaluation can help you decide whether further testing makes sense.
School records and earlier testing help when you have them, but they’re generally not required. If the picture points toward a learning difference, the evaluation can help you decide whether further testing makes sense.
Time alone with you
Time with your child
Clear feedback on findings and recommendations for next steps that fit your child
How the First Visit Works
Everyone has room to share their perspective and ask questions. The visit typically runs in four parts:
Medication, When It’s Appropriate
Whether medication belongs in the plan depends on what the evaluation shows. When Dr. Hubsher recommends it, he explains what he’s suggesting and why. Follow-up visits then monitor how your child is doing:
FOLLOW-UP VISITS MONITOR
Working With Therapists, Schools, and Other Supports
Many children do best with more than one kind of support. Depending on your child’s needs, recommendations may include therapy with one of the Center’s therapists, parent support, further testing, or school-based supports. Therapy, parent training, and coaching are provided by the Center’s therapists, not by Dr. Hubsher. With your permission, he can coordinate with your child’s school or other clinicians.
Related Services
Considering an Evaluation for Your Child?
You don’t need to know the diagnosis before reaching out. If something about your child’s behavior, mood, or school life has you looking for answers, the front desk will confirm the right starting service and walk you through the new-patient paperwork.