Dr. Jacqueline Hubbard, M.D., ABPN gives help and hope to families in Tampa Bay
Parenting is often a combination of joys and challenges, but there can be times when a child or teen has difficulties caused by factors outside of what they or their parents can handle alone. In those instances, there’s help and hope in consulting an expert.
For Tampa Bay families, a local child and adolescent psychiatrist Jacqueline Hubbard, M.D., ABPN, opened a self-run private practice in Clearwater in August 2016. Her passion for her work is inspiring. “I love my job—it’s exciting to help children and their families because you often see life-changing improvements,” says Dr. Hubbard. “There’s a huge need for mental health services and I wanted to eliminate the stigma of seeking treatment and normalize that experience for families who are concerned about their child’s behavior changes.”Hubbard.
Dr. Hubbard Certification
Dr. Hubbard is dual-board certified in general psychiatry and in child and adolescent psychiatry. Her educational background includes awards for teaching, serving as Chief Resident of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program at USF, and extensive training at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital as well as the Rothman Center for Pediatric Neuropsychiatry.
Her practice is all about personalized, compassionate care, handled directly by her. Dr. Hubbard sees children of any age and helps formulate individual treatment plans that can involve, with the family’s approval, other professionals including primary care providers, therapists (occupational, ABA, speech), and school staff. Her practice is not simply about prescribing medication, and her appointments do not just involve the child; they can also include educating family members or caregivers, and teaching them behavior modification strategies and parenting skills.
She gives families ample time, with appointments that are often much longer than traditional practices, and they normally include separate time for the patient individually and the family together. Dr. Hubbard can also conduct virtual ‘telepsychiatry’ appointments via a secure computer video chat for patients throughout the state of Florida.
Who Does Dr. Hubbard Treat?
Dr. Hubbard treats many child and adolescent mental health issues, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders including OCD, autism spectrum disorder, depressive disorders, binge eating disorder and mental health assistance for LGBTQ patients.
Today, diagnostic tools are better, and therapeutic approaches based on evidence, along with medications (if necessary), can be individually tailored to help children get well and stay resilient.
Warning Signs
What are common warning signs? Dr. Hubbard says, “Look for a change in their functioning. This could mean not interacting as much with peers or family, withdrawing socially, as well as a decline in school performance. Other warning signs are kids overeating or not eating enough, losing weight or falling off the growth curve, persistent boredom, irritability, anger, increased defiance, unexplained crying episodes, difficulty concentrating, frequent school absences and even complaints of physical illnesses and stomach aches.”
What can parents do to support good mental health in their kids? “Help them gain confidence, teach them how to identify and cope with specific emotions, praise them for specific achievements, focus on your child’s best qualities/strengths, teach them how to set personal goals, empower kids to make decisions and learn how to handle situations effectively on their own, and roll with life’s little setbacks,” says Dr. Hubbard. She recommends parents consult the website resources on American Academy for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry www.aacap.org as a great resource.
