Local community CAMHS

At CAMHS, we aim to understand the child or young person’s experiences and the reasons why they might need support. We assess, support and treat children and young people who have moderate to severe difficulties with their emotions, behaviour and mental health. 

We know how important it is to hear the voices of everyone we support, which is why we make decisions together with children, young people and their families. We often work alongside other people in the network, such as school or college staff, to fully understand the young person’s needs.

CAMHS also:

• gives advice on how everyone can work together to develop ways to manage a person’s difficulties.
• sets goals and regularly reviews work to achieve the best outcome.
• offers different therapeutic approaches, including individual therapy, group work or family therapy. Medication may be suggested depending on the severity of the difficulties.
• sees children and young people with neurodiversity, such as ADHD or autism if there’s an additional mental health need, such as low mood or anxiety.

CAMHS respects the beliefs of everyone using the service and is sensitive to their culture, race, gender, sexuality, disability and social class.

You can find out more about our commitment to Equality, Diveristy and Inclusion here.

We support children and young people:  

• from the age of 5 to 18 years. For children under 5, please visit our Primary Infant Mental Health Specialists (PIMHS) page for further advice.
• referred to us by GPs, school nurses and other professionals.
• who are registered with a GP in Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire.
• struggling with moderate to severe emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties.

These difficulties may include:

• eating disorders 
• low mood or depression 
• feelings of worry or anxiety 
• hearing voices or seeing things 
• self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts 
• experience of trauma or abuse  
• emotional and behavioural difficulties 

If you are over 18 years and would like support with your mental health, you can visit your GP or refer yourself to the following services:

• VitaMinds: provides advice, support and evidence-based therapy. 
• Off The Record: offers a range of projects and services for young people up to the age of 25.

CAMHS has a team of professionals that might vary between each locality. They are likely to include:

• psychiatrists 
• clinical psychologists 
• registered mental health nurses 
• mental health practitioners  
• occupational therapists
• social workers
• family therapists 
• child psychotherapists 
• cognitive behavioural therapists

If you have been offered an assessment, this will be your first appointment. Sometimes you will only need one appointment to get some advice and we will recommend things that we think will help. Other times, you might need several appointments for us to understand what is going on for you and what might help.

If we think CAMHS is the right service for you, we will offer you some more appointments. Sometimes, a few sessions will be enough to get you back on track, or we may need to see you for longer.

The way we offer appointments has evolved since COVID-19 and changes in line with Government advice. We typically offer appointments in the following ways: 

• in person at a CAMHS base
• in person at home, in school or in the community 
• by phone 
• by digital appointments, through secure video calls 

There are five locality CAMHS teams across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. 

East and Central 

Barton Hill Settlement 
43 Ducie Rd, Barton Hill,  
Bristol, BS5 0AX 
Phone: 0117 340 8600 

North Bristol 

Woodland View 
Thornfield Road, Brentry,  
Bristol, BS10 6NB 
Phone: 0117 354 6800 

South Bristol 

Knowle Clinic 
Broadfield Road, Knowle 
Bristol BS4 2UH  
Phone: 0117 919 0330 

North Somerset 

The Barn 
Great Western Road  
Clevedon  
BS21 6HB 
Phone: 0300 125 6700

Drove Road 
Weston-super-Mare 
BS23 3NT 
Phone: 0300 125 6700 

South Gloucestershire 

Kingswood Locality Hub 
Alma Rd, Kingswood, 
Bristol BS15 4DA 
Phone: 01454 862 433 

Patchway Locality Hub  
Rodway Road 
Patchway 
Bristol BS34 5PE 
Phone: 01454 868 007 

CAMHS services in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are provided by Oxford Health please visit the page here.