Teen Health
Helping teens make healthy choices
A proactive approach to health problems is the best way to avoid seeing the doctor. Your body needs regular tune-ups and maintenance just like a car.
Teenagers experience a wide range of body changes that all happen very quickly. To make sure you stay healthy and happy throughout your teenage years, rely on the medical expertise at FamilyCare of Kent.
We believe in educating teens about how they can contribute to their own good health by eating right, getting adequate sleep, and enjoying daily physical activity; however, caring for teens requires a careful balance between meeting the needs of both teens and parents.
At FamilyCare of Kent, our nurse practitioners are skilled in maintaining this balance. While we encourage teens to talk with their parents about their health, we recognize this is not always possible or desirable.
Teens can come to us and know that their medical record will be kept strictly confidential. Parents can trust our nurse practitioners to treat their teen with respect and compassion while teaching them to make healthy choices for life.
When to Seek Medical Attention
Any signs of illness or injury should be addressed by a medical professional as soon as possible. Please make an appointment if you (or your child) experiences:
- Significant weight gain or loss
- Rashes or skin infections
- Sleep problems or changes in behavior
- Breathing problems
- Fever higher than 102 degrees
- Frequent sore throats or earaches
Common conditions we treat include:
- Acne
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Behavior changes
- Birth control
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Diet and nutrition
- Digestive disorders
- Infections
- Migraine headaches
- Painful periods
- Sinusitis
- STDs
- Stomach flu
- Sore throats and coughing
- Sports injuries and fractures
- And much more
Sexual Health
Starting at age 14, teens can independently seek care for sexual health issues such as birth control and STDs. For teens who may be sexually active, we will emphasize disease prevention with annual STD testing in order to stay healthy. We offer HPV testing and provide a vaccine to prevent HPV infection (Gardasil®) for girls and boys.
Mental Health
Mental health care is also available for teens struggling with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, and more. Our nurse practitioners are compassionate and excellent listeners, which is perfect for kids who want someone to talk to about whatever might be bothering them.
FamilyCare of Kent also uses RAAPS as a screening tool for adolescents. Kids as young as 9 can take RAAPS. Learn more about it below.
Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services (RAAPS)
If you are a parent of a teen, you know how challenging it can be for them to open up and talk about their emotions. RAAPS is an assessment that uses technology to get teens to be honest about things that might make be hard to talk about in person or on paper. The goal of RAAPS is to identify signs of risky behaviors as early as possible. RAAPS was designed for use with 9 to 24 year olds.
For details about our teen health care services or to schedule a check-up, please call a nurse practitioner in Kent, Washington at FamilyCare of Kent at (253) 859-CARE (2273) or use our online form to request an appointment now.
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