As children and adolescents grow, they encounter major transitions that shape their identity and wellbeing, including transitions across school stages, puberty, and increasing pressure and expectations from parents, society, and their own selves.
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has completed additional specialist training in mental health disorders while keeping the physical body in mind. A child and adolescent psychiatrist goes even further, focusing exclusively on the emotional, attachment, behavioural, developmental, and mental health needs of children, teenagers, and their families.
Their expertise lies in understanding how a young person’s mind and body develop, how their environment shapes them, and how these factors interact to influence wellbeing.
At Eora Clinic, our approach to child and adolescent psychiatry is compassionate, family and patient-focused, and grounded in evidence-based medicine. We believe in a whole-child approach to care. This follows the biopsychosocial model, understanding that children and adolescents experience mental health challenges differently from adults because their brains are still developing. This model recognises that mental health is shaped by the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.
Mental health difficulties in children and adolescents are far more common than many people realise, yet they often go unrecognised or untreated. Early support can make a profound difference.
Good mental health influences a child’s relationships, self‑esteem, social confidence, academic engagement, and their ability to cope with stress and change.
Children and teenagers may experience a variety of mental health disorders, including:
These conditions can vary in severity and may present differently in young people compared to adults. Some children show clear emotional distress, while others may struggle quietly or express their difficulties through behaviour, withdrawal, or changes in school performance.
At Eora Clinic, we take a trauma‑informed, non‑judgmental approach to mental health disorders, including self‑harm and suicidal ideation/behaviours. Instead of focusing solely on the behaviour, we explore the underlying reasons your child or adolescent may be struggling.
Our whole-child biopsychosocial approach to treatment may involve:
Our experienced child and adolescent psychiatrist can:
This team‑based approach ensures that your child receives consistent, coordinated care across home, school, and healthcare settings.
Autism is a neurodivergent developmental condition that affects around 1 in 40 children in Australia. Our understanding of autism has evolved, and it is now recognised not as an illness to be cured, but as a unique neurodevelopmental pathway.
At Eora Clinic, we embrace a neuroaffirming approach, supporting children and adolescents to understand, value, and celebrate their identity. By strengthening their understanding of how their brain works, we empower them to respond confidently to everyday challenges.
Many children with ASD also experience conditions that need attention during assessment and treatment, including anxiety, school refusal, eating disorders, and others. Autistic children often benefit from support that helps them understand:
We aim to empower young people with practical tools and a deeper understanding of themselves, so they can respond to challenges with confidence and feel proud of their individuality.
Eora Clinic prioritises strong partnerships with the multidisciplinary team supporting children and adolescents. Communication occurs through various channels with parental and patient consent where necessary, ensuring personalised and effective care. The clinic is dedicated to providing a safe and nurturing environment for young individuals to thrive.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition that affects how children focus, regulate their emotions, and manage everyday tasks. Many families seek support because ADHD can impact school performance, friendships, and overall wellbeing. With the right assessment and treatment, children can learn skills that strengthen their confidence and help them thrive.
Differences in the prefrontal cortex can make it harder for children to:
ADHD may often co-occur with other conditions, including anxiety and depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, learning disorders, and others. Conducting a thorough assessment to understand how these issues relate to ADHD is essential for developing a comprehensive biopsychosocial treatment plan as they can influence how ADHD presents and how well treatments work.
Effective ADHD care involves more than medication alone. A child and adolescent psychiatrist can provide:
The goal is to strengthen your child’s executive functioning while reducing stress on their nervous system. This approach helps them feel more in control, enables them to apply their academic, social, and creative potentials, and better equips them to participate in daily life. Ultimately, this can lead to a thriving life experience while keeping mental health challenges at bay.
Functional neurological disorders (FND) are real, distressing, and often misunderstood conditions in which young people experience neurological symptoms – such as weakness, tremors, seizures, sensory changes, or difficulties with movement – without a structural disease of the brain or nervous system. These symptoms are not imagined or deliberate. They arise from disruptions in how the brain functions and communicates with the body, rather than from physical damage.
Children and adolescents may experience symptoms causing severe psychosocial impairments:
These symptoms can be frightening for families and disruptive to school, friendships, and daily life. A trauma‑informed approach recognises that the child is not “acting out” or “seeking attention” – they are experiencing a genuine neurological disruption that requires understanding and support.
The good news is that children and adolescents have excellent potential for recovery, especially when treatment is collaborative and holistic. Effective care often includes:
At Eora Clinic, we provide comprehensive assessment and treatment for a range of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), and binge eating disorder. Eating disorders are serious medical and psychiatric conditions, and early, coordinated intervention is essential for recovery.
We work in close partnership with child and adolescent psychiatrists, paediatricians, psychologists, and dietitians to ensure whole‑body health, medical stability, and emotional safety throughout treatment.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is often misunderstood as a disorder about weight or appearance, but for many children and adolescents, it is far more complex. At its core, AN is a survival response, a way the brain tries to cope when a young person feels overwhelmed, unsafe, or out of control. It is a sign of profound distress in a developing nervous system doing its best to adapt.
Many children who develop AN have lived in environments that feel relentlessly demanding. They may be navigating academic pressures, stress in the home, identity struggles, or neurodevelopmental differences that make daily life more effortful. Eating, digestion, hunger cues, and body awareness can become disrupted. Restricting food may emerge as a way to feel something predictable in a world that feels chaotic.
ARFID is often misunderstood, yet for many children – especially those with neurodevelopmental differences – eating can be one of the most overwhelming parts of daily life. ARFID is not about body image or dieting. It is about fear, discomfort, sensory overload, and a nervous system that feels unsafe around food.
When adults respond with warmth, patience, and curiosity, children begin to feel safe enough to explore new foods at their own pace.
Eating disorders do not occur in isolation. At Eora Clinic, we explore the predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of an eating disorder. This approach helps families understand the “why” behind the illness and supports recovery in a non‑blaming, compassionate, and collaborative way.
We are dedicated to providing evidence‑based, compassionate, and developmentally informed care for children and adolescents with eating disorders. Our goal is to support young people and their families through every stage of recovery – restoring physical health, rebuilding emotional resilience, and strengthening the foundations for long‑term wellbeing.
Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders involve involuntary motor and vocal tics that typically begin in childhood. While tics themselves are neurological, many young people also experience co‑occurring conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, OCD, emotional dysregulation, and sleep difficulties. These additional challenges often have a greater impact on daily life than the tics alone.
A child psychiatrist helps families understand how these pieces fit together so the child receives holistic, developmentally informed care. A comprehensive assessment may include:
This whole‑child approach helps guide treatment decisions and ensures that support is tailored to your child’s developmental stage.
Tourette Syndrome and tic disorders can feel confusing, unpredictable, and sometimes overwhelming for young people and their families. Tics may come and go, change over time, or appear suddenly during moments of stress, excitement, or fatigue. Many children worry about standing out or being misunderstood, and parents often wonder how best to support their child.
At Eora Clinic, we work with families and schools to help everyone in your child’s life understand the nature of tics and how best to support your child’s self-esteem and development, tailoring their environment to avoid exacerbating factors at home and in the classroom. This can involve:
As tic disorders often change across childhood and adolescence, our psychiatrist also provides ongoing support through life transitions for both your child and yourself as the caregiver.
Children with an intellectual disability learn and develop at a slower pace than other children. A diagnosis of an intellectual disability in your child can be devastating, but getting support early on gives them the best chance of developing the right skills to help them through life.
Some children show signs of an intellectual disability before their fifth birthday, often with significant delays in reaching age-normal developmental milestones. For other children, the academic and social demands of starting school can make the intellectual disability more apparent where it may have been missed before.
Supporting you and your child effectively takes a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, pediatricians, psychologists, occupational therapists, and social workers. Our qualified child psychiatrist with experience in managing intellectual disability can:
Every child deserves to be seen for their strengths, their potential, and the many ways they contribute to the world. Intellectual disability is not a barrier to a fulfilling life.
Learning disorders affect an estimated 4% of Australian children. It’s a broad classification for a wide range of learning difficulties including challenges with reading, reading comprehension, spelling, and mathematical reasoning.
Learning disorders in highly intelligent children are often overshadowed by their intelligence. However, if these disorders are not addressed early, they can lead to significant challenges in self-worth and self-confidence. If they co-exist with conditions like ADHD and ASD, the risk of burnout, school refusal, and mental health complications such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal tendencies is high.
Despite a learning disorder diagnosis, with early intervention and the right type of help, your child can still be successful in school and their future vocation.
While the most effective management strategies to help your child with a learning disorder are targeted interventions for the specific area of difficulty, a child and adolescent psychiatrist can provide support through diagnosing and providing management of co-existing conditions such as:
Children with learning disorders may learn differently, process information in unique ways, or need more time and support to master certain skills – but with the right intervention, these differences do not need to limit their potential.
Attachment disorders in children can have far-reaching consequences, including difficulties with emotional expression, resilience, healthy relationships, and general behaviour. Children with attachment disorders may come from a traumatic past, have a history of not having a stable primary caregiver when they were younger, or have a neurodevelopmental limitation such as ADHD and ASD that could make attachment formation challenging.
At Eora Clinic, we recognise that secure attachment is one of the most powerful foundations for a child’s emotional, social, and relational development. Our approach is grounded in the principles of the Circle of Security, a well‑established attachment framework that helps parents understand and respond to their child’s needs with confidence and compassion.
At Eora Clinic, we believe that parental wellbeing is central to a child’s wellbeing. We work with parents and caregivers through a lens of compassion and non‑judgment, offering guidance that is respectful and collaborative. The goal is to empower parents, not blame them – and to help every family move toward greater connection, confidence, and emotional safety.
Children and adolescents flourish when they know their caregiver can:
We encourage parents to be attuned and responsive most of the time, while also stepping in with gentle leadership when a child needs help organising their feelings or staying safe.
Complex developmental trauma refers to the chronic, repeated, and often interpersonal experiences of threat, harm, or emotional neglect that occur during a child’s most formative years. Unlike a single traumatic event, complex trauma unfolds over time and within relationships that are meant to provide safety, protection, and stability.
Children are remarkably resilient, but they are also deeply dependent on the adults around them. When their early environments are unpredictable, frightening, or emotionally unavailable, their developing brains and nervous systems adapt in ways that help them survive in the moment – but may create challenges later in life.
Repeated exposure to stress can influence:
Complex developmental trauma can have profound effects, but with the right support, children can heal, build secure relationships, and develop a strong sense of self. Recovery is not about erasing the past – it is about helping young people feel safe, understood, and empowered to move forward.
At Eora Clinic, our treatment approach honours your child’s resilience and recognises that their responses are adaptive, not pathological. It also emphasises safety, consistency, empathy and non-judgement, collaboration, and a focus on helping children regain a sense of control and agency.
Children and adolescents with complex developmental trauma often benefit from a combination of:
Dr Lakmali Edirimanne MBBS, FRANZCP, Adv Child Adol Psych, is a dedicated child and adolescent psychiatrist with years of experience in helping young people and their families navigate complex mental health challenges. She is deeply passionate about comprehensive, holistic care and equipping her patients with the skills needed to lead a fulfilling life.
Call 02 9030 2185