PATH Telemental Health Program, Jacksonville
Quick Access to Mental Health Video Visits for Kids and Teens
Through the Pediatric Acute Telemental Health (PATH) Program, Jacksonville area families can access video visits for many mental health issues affecting children, including depression and anxiety. If your child is age 2 to 17, our program offers one to three sessions with a mental health counselor or social worker.
We also provide:
- Access to mental health professionals quickly, usually within a week. Sometimes same-day appointments can be scheduled.
- Assessment and treatment recommendations
- Crisis intervention for a child engaging in self-harm, high-risk behaviors or having suicidal thoughts
- Referrals to community providers
- Brief treatment options (up to three sessions)
Our licensed, master’s level mental health professionals give you short-term support and strategies for coping with mental health concerns. If your child requires further treatment, PATH offers referrals to community providers, with the aim of reducing wait times for appointments. You are not alone during these challenging times. We are here to help find the best path forward so your child and family stay safe.
Why choose us?
The PATH program is for any parent or legal guardian with a concern about their child’s behavior, mood or safety. If your preschooler isn’t sleeping well or your preteen is experiencing anxiety, a PATH professional can help. One or two telehealth visits may be enough to assist and reassure you. For more serious concerns, counselors can provide crisis intervention to help manage the behavior and help get your child the appropriate care.
Our program includes:
- Parenting skills, resources and problem-solving recommendations for you to help your children feel better
- Information to help you take early action to help prevent mental health problems
- Early care can help prevent conditions from developing or worsening. PATH is here to support you and direct you to the appropriate care for your child. If you are not sure what your child needs, PATH can help.
Conditions We Assess
The PATH program offers online support for many conditions and problems, including:
Appointments
A PATH appointment takes place through a video visit. This is a face-to-face visit with a mental health professional. Visits occur through the Nemours app, which can be easily accessed by a smartphone, tablet or computer. This type of care is also called telemedicine or telehealth. Your child does not have to be a Nemours Children’s patient.
How It Works
- Request an appointment by calling (904) 697-3600 or request an appointment through the Nemours app.
- Appointments are scheduled within a week, and same-day appointments may be available. Appointments are available Monday through Saturday, with early morning and evening times offered.
- The parent or guardian and child must be present for the first appointment.
- A visit can cost as little as $0 or a copay, depending on your insurance. Ask your insurance about coverage for telehealth.
From Nemours KidsHealth
The more you know, the better you can help your child grow up healthy. The experts at Nemours KidsHealth® — one of the world’s most visited websites for family health information — offer advice you can count on.
Helping Your Child Manage Anxiety (Video)
Feeling nervous, worried or uneasy at times is a normal part of growing up. Helping your child feel more in control and able to cope with stress can help prevent anxiety from becoming a bigger problem.
Childhood Depression: What Parents Need to Know
It's normal for kids to feel sad, act grouchy or be in a bad mood at times. But when a sad or bad mood lasts for weeks or longer, and when there are other changes in a child's behavior, it might be depression.
Emotions & Behavior
Is it just a phase or a serious problem? Help your child cope with life's ups and downs, from dealing with divorce to preparing for new siblings. Or find out how to understand your child's behavior, whether it's toddler tantrums or teenage depression.
Help Kids Cope With Stress
All kids feel stressed at times. And it’s common for kids to have some fears and worries. At every age, parents can help kids build their inner strength and confidence.
PATH Program Frequently Asked Questions
Guiding You Through Every Step of Your Journey With the Nemours Children’s Health PATH Program
The Nemours Children’s Health PATH Program is an online mental health service for parents and caregivers with their children ages 2 to 17. The program can help families when a child is having an emotional or behavioral problem that needs short-term attention or a referral.
When you sign up, we’ll schedule you and your child for a virtual visit with a mental health provider within one to five days. The provider will assess your child and may provide crisis counseling or other brief treatments. Families in the PATH program usually have between one and three video visits. If more care is needed, the provider can make referrals to providers in your community.
PATH stands for Pediatric Acute Telemental Health.
You and your child will join the video visit together.
A Nemours Children’s Health mental health provider with special training will talk with you and ask questions. You’ll likely have a follow-up video visit, too.
If the provider finds that your child needs more care, they’ll refer you to another mental health provider in your community who can help. Then you can schedule an in-person visit.
We know that it can be hard for some kids to sit still, and that’s OK. We would like your child to meet the provider online, but they don’t need to stay for the whole video visit.
Our providers are experts at connecting with young people. And they are skilled and comfortable using our telehealth platform. But sometimes, some kids and teens find it hard to share their feelings with a new provider over a video visit. If a child or teen doesn’t want to talk during the video visit, that’s OK. The provider can talk with the parent or caregiver about what’s going on. Then the provider can make a referral for an in-person session with another provider in the community.
If your child is in danger of hurting themselves or another person, take your child to the emergency room now.