The Outpatient Clinic provides a comprehensive range of in-depth diagnostic and treatment services for children with psychiatric and developmental disorders. These services include specialized developmental evaluations for children age 0-5, and psychological and psychiatric evaluations for children 6-18. Individualized treatment plans following evaluation make use of a range of therapeutic interventions, including individual psychotherapy, group therapy, family therapy, psycho-pharmacological treatment, parent counseling, consultation, and/or service planning. Immediate access for children needing to be seen within 24 hours as well as walk-in is also available. The clinic, which is the largest in Connecticut, serves patients from the greater New Haven area as well as throughout the state.

Funding for clinical services is provided by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), as well as grants from private foundations. The Clinic collaborates with, consults to and provides training for DCF, the New Haven Public Schools, and other community-based child-caring agencies. Children and families from New Haven, its suburbs, and throughout the state are served regardless of their ability to pay.

 Research

The research conducted in the Outpatient Clinic is driven by the premise that research should inform and improve clinical care. The focus of the research is utilization patterns and treatment outcome for children and families who come to the clinic. By understanding the utilization patterns and outcomes of our patients, programmatic changes can be made to adapt services to better serve children and families. The clinic is one of the few clinics in the country which conducts research in a "naturalistic" (as opposed to "research") setting and represents the majority of clients who seek mental health services. Hence the numerous publications generated from the clinic contribute to understanding what takes place in "real world" mental health settings.

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