This New Platform Puts Expert Mental Health Care for Your Kids At Your Fingertips
by Jamie Aderski
No matter how many parenting books or advice columns you read, it can be challenging to navigate emotions and stages and to know what is “normal” for our kids. That’s where this first-of-its-kind service, Little Otter, comes in! Little Otter is a virtual healthcare platform dedicated to kids and their family’s mental health and wellness. Developed by Dr. Helen Egger, previously Head of Child Psychiatry at NYU Langone and Duke University, and the top minds in early childhood mental health, their programs empower families to get back to what matters the most as soon as possible.
From anxiety to tantrums and everything in-between, Little Otter’s world-renowned clinicians are equipped to give you expert care right when you need it, from the convenience of your location—live, customized care, with the help of technology! Children’s mental health care is reimagined and easier than ever before to access with Little Otter, from the quality of care to accommodating the urgency and importance of early detection and counseling.
As parents, we know it truly does take a village. When you join the Little Otter family, their care team will assess the mental health of your kids and your family, develop an integrated care plan and track how you and your kids are doing throughout care. No appointments to travel to—their app makes it easy to connect with the right, qualified providers from your phone, anywhere. You also get access to a library of online content with advice and guidance developed by Dr. Helen Egger and all of their child mental health experts.
Getting started is super easy, even for busy parents. They’ve put together a 30-minute Family Mental Health and Wellness assessment for you based on their expertise so that they can get every detail—no worry is too big or small. Once you sign up, you'll get personalized reports and resources before your first appointment. From there you’ll be matched to a Care Lead and schedule your first appointment.
Explore
In addition to one-on-one appointments with their team of mental health professionals, you get access to Little Otter’s online resource library and “when to worry” guides. You'll receive personalized resources based on your Wellness Report to explore, as well as their whole wealth of knowledge on all things mental health for kids and families. You can even invite family members to be a part of the plan!
No need to book out time to schlep your family to an office—you'll connect with your Little Otter Care Lead in a video appointment to chat through your family's needs and your Wellness Report. During your meeting with your Care Lead, you'll get your suggested next steps and invite the right providers into your Care Team. Everything is done online and through video chat so it's incredibly convenient to stay on track with your family's mental health, stress-free.
Grow
Track your progress through their app and get 24/7 text communication with your Care Team. Whenever you need help or have a question, Little Otter Health has your back! You'll also get quarterly family wellness check-ups to make sure you're on the right track.
Their combination of expert clinicians and user-friendly digital platform are built to support your kids’ emotional and behavioral well-being (and yours!). Your first Little Otter appointment is $90, which includes: same-day appointment, daily text access, custom reports with measurable insights into your family's mental health, in-app assessments, digital resources created by experts, and three-month access to resources at Little Otter. Additional sessions with world-renowned clinicians are available as needed for an incremental charge.
If you, your child, or someone you know is in crisis, call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or reach out to the following national resources. You’re never alone.
Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center.