Social workers have always provided services for children or youth with serious mental illness and their families. We have not, however, always included neuroscience findings as part of our treatment frameworks. Nor have we maximized the incorporation of biological theories into our daily practice. The social work role is often unclear when mental illness is framed as a brain disease rather than solely as a social-environmental problem. This article offers a treatment model and suggestions for working with children and youths who have neuropsychiatric disorders. Specific suggestions are offered for working with these children and their families, supporting biological and medication interventions, and functioning as a professional member of a multidisciplinary team. Social workers need accessible, easily applicable information that translates research into practice guidelines. These guidelines must form a coherent, flexible treatment model that meets the needs of children and their families. This article begins to meet this need by translating ecological theory and neurobiological concepts into a clinical framework.
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