Adolescent medicine focuses on the care of patients who are in the adolescent period of development, so from when puberty begins until your child has stopped growing and reaches adulthood.

During this time, it is important for your teen and young adult to continue to see a pediatric-trained physician, as they are specialists in growing and developing bodies and sensitive to the physical, emotional and mental changes kids are experiencing during this time.

In the Adolescent Medicine Clinic at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, we support teens by talking about their health and well-being with them and their parents. And because teens and young adults may be embarrassed to have an exam or talk about some things in front of their parents, we give them a chance to be seen privately by our clinical staff.

In order to thoughtfully care for your teen or young adult, our clinic offers a variety of confidential services and treatment. This means we will only share information from these visits with parents if the teen or young adult says it is OK or if someone is in danger.

What confidential services do we offer?

• Comprehensive medical care for adolescents, including school and sports physicals, as well as vaccines
• Comprehensive sexual education and related medical care for teens with developmental delays
• Evaluation and treatment of menstrual and gynecological disorders
• Female and male confidential family planning services
• Pregnancy testing
• Pregnancy prevention education
• Puberty and growth concerns
• Screening and medical care for patients with eating disorders, such as anorexia and obesity
• Screening and treatment for mental health issues, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), uncomplicated anxiety and depression, and self-injurious behaviors
• Sexually transmitted infections, and HIV screening and treatment
• Substance abuse screening
• Tobacco cessation counseling
  
  

It’s not always easy for teenagers. They struggle with the stress of school, peer pressure and how to stay safe online. But the pediatric-trained team at Children’s is here to help navigate the years that can often be hard for teens—and parents.

We offer flexible clinic hours, with one evening clinic each week for patients who need to come after school. Our clinical staff is experienced in caring for teens’ needs.

Adolescent medicine physician

• Holly Gooding, MD