Healing Horizons: Dr. Hina Smith Takes a Holistic Approach to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL - Panama City Beach welcomes Healing Horizons, a new clinic founded and led by Dr. Hina Smith, a licensed Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. With a wealth of experience gained in multiple states, including West Virginial, Mississippi, Florida, Nevada, and North Carolina. Dr. Smith brings a unique perspective to mental health care for children and adolescents.

Holistic Treatment Philosophy: Dr. Smith is a firm believer that medication is not the sole solution for child and adolescent issues. At Healing Horizons, she prioritizes a holistic approach, incorporating behavior therapy and psychoeducation into her treatments. Specializing in educating parents, she aims to strengthen the parent-child connection, emphasizing that medications are not always the answer.

Micro-Therapy Skills: To facilitate early improvements in treatment, Dr. Smith employs "micro-therapy skills." This innovative approach involves brief but impactful information sessions and homework assignments between meetings. The goal is to initiate positive changes promptly, promoting ongoing progress.

Filling a Gap for Trauma Survivors: Expressing her motivation for establishing the clinic, Dr. Smith states, "I started this clinic to fill the gap for children who come from trauma providers." Recognizing the unique needs of such children, Healing Horizons is dedicated to offering specialized care and support.

Flexible Payment Options: Currently operating on an out-of-network, pay-as-you-go basis, Dr. Smith is actively collaborating with insurance providers to expand coverage options for her patients. This commitment reflects her dedication to making quality mental health care accessible to a broader range of families.

Caution on Permanent Changes: When queried about her perspective on puberty blockers and transition surgeries for adolescents, Dr. Smith expressed caution. Drawing from her experiences in acute care situations, she highlighted instances where teens, after undergoing these painful surgeries, later expressed confusion and regret. Dr. Smith firmly believes in avoiding permanent changes during the developmental years. "Identity vs. role confusion happens to children and adults all of the time," she notes. “It is an Erick Erickson Stage of Psychological Development in Teenagers that lasts from age 12-18 which is why the permanent changes are not recommended. This is a stage when they are supposed to develop their own identity and find out their role in their own life and society in general.”

Healing Horizons, under the compassionate guidance of Dr. Hina Smith, is a place for families seeking comprehensive and thoughtful mental health support for their children and adolescents in Panama City Beach. https://www.healinghorizonsbh.com/