Alt text on BCH Logo
brief

Emotional Learning for Adults with Heart Defects

Ages 18 - 24 Years

Many professionals in the community are available to help young adults with heart defects with their emotional functioning. Young adults do not need to try to solve their challenges alone. Here are some ways many young adults find emotional supports:

2 min read
Share:

Help through Special Education

In the United States, young adult students with disabilities (ages 18-21) sometimes qualify for Special Education. Special Education services can teach and support emotional skills. 

Special Education services that can support emotional development include:

  • Occupational Therapy (OT)

  • Speech and Language Therapy

  • Behavior support with a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA)

  • Counseling with a psychologist or social worker

  • The help of an aide

  • Social skills groups

  • Home services

  • Placement in a therapeutic classroom or school

Families or self-advocates can request a meeting with their school district if they believe a young person with an IEP should receive services for emotional skills.

Psychotherapy

Many therapists are experts in helping young adults to recognize, respond to, and regulate emotions.  Therapists can be psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, or mental health counselors.

There are many different types of therapy, and young people and their families should find a therapist who is a good fit with their values and goals.

Types of therapy that can help teenagers include:

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Exposure Therapy

  • Family Therapy

  • Group Therapy

  • Parent Guidance (for young adults with intellectual disabilities)

  • Psychodynamic Therapy

  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

Families can ask their medical or developmental care team to refer them to an appropriate therapist and type of therapy. Many therapists accept medical insurance.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapists (OTs) have many different areas of specialty, but all are focused on helping people to participate fully in all aspects of their lives.

OTs can support emotional learning and emotional regulation by:

  • teaching people to recognize what they are feeling

  • teaching people to identify the cause of their feelings

  • teaching people how to calm themselves

  • teaching people how to cope with distress and work through challenging emotions

  • finding ways to reduce negative emotions in daily life

Young people can access OT through their public school system, or through outpatient clinics. Many outpatient OTs accept insurance.

Lifelong Wellness

When emotional problems remain untreated, they tend to get worse. When a young person is struggling with emotional wellbeing, they should always consult a doctor and get help.

This content was reviewed by a psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital.

Developmental care is best when it is local. Families local to Boston can receive care from the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program (CNP) and/or the Boston Adult Congenital Heart (BACH) program. Families from other regions can use the link below to find their local care team.

Dahlawi, N., Milnes, L. J., & Swallow, V. (2020). Behaviour and emotions of children and young people with congenital heart disease: A literature review. Journal of Child Health Care, 24(2), 317-332.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1367493519878550?casa_token=aYqOElsfXYsAAAAA:YhdmEGhuuZGkFSZ4fc9esBEXsotM791na9xWVauS4hCSJt-j-xDEPNczDFyIisrDXS9eyPL7lhs
Kovacs, A. H., Brouillette, J., Ibeziako, P., Jackson, J. L., Kasparian, N. A., Kim, Y. Y., ... & American Heart Association Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young; and Stroke Council. (2022). Psychological outcomes and interventions for individuals with congenital heart disease: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 15(8), e000110.https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/HCQ.0000000000000110
Kovacs, A. H., & Bellinger, D. C. (2021). Neurocognitive and psychosocial outcomes in adult congenital heart disease: a lifespan approach. Heart, 107(2), 159-167.https://www.proquest.com/docview/2471972691?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals
Lekaviciene, R., & Antiniene, D. (2016). High emotional intelligence: family psychosocial factors. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 217, 609-617.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042816000914/pdf?crasolve=1&r=86f45bd8bb678fed&ts=1712265798527&rtype=https&vrr=UKN&redir=UKN&redir_fr=UKN&redir_arc=UKN&vhash=UKN&host=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&tsoh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&rh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&re=X2JsYW5rXw%3D%3D&ns_h=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&ns_e=X2JsYW5rXw%3D%3D&rh_fd=rrr)n%5Ed%60i%5E%60_dm%60%5Eo)%5Ejh&tsoh_fd=rrr)n%5Ed%60i%5E%60_dm%60%5Eo)%5Ejh&iv=347d5ad4c4984431c5f8179852fafb1b&token=39613564393066333663623835616136626530356631336666303762643964616236316366663335326562373738323131623930643335326131663133346539643639633831346631323563343364636362353161636361643337323331333239303261326361383a396530363231623138633861323362346234356464363465&text=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&original=3f6d64353d6662616534353132633733386331386632623061373562363861633462373239267069643d312d73322e302d53313837373034323831363030303931342d6d61696e2e706466
Leo, D. G., Islam, U., Lotto, R. R., Lotto, A., & Lane, D. A. (2023). Psychological interventions for depression in adolescent and adult congenital heart disease. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (10).https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004372.pub3/abstract
Liu, H. C., Chaou, C. H., Lo, C. W., Chung, H. T., & Hwang, M. S. (2022). Factors affecting psychological and health-related quality-of-life status in children and adolescents with congenital heart diseases. Children, 9(4), 578.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/4/578
Utens, E. M., Verhulst, F. C., Meijboom, F. J., Duivenvoorden, H. J., Erdman, R. A., Bos, E., ... & Hess, J. (1993). Behavioural and emotional problems in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease. Psychological medicine, 23(2), 415-424.https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/40110626/Long-term_follow-up_9_to_20_years_afte20151117-22140-1hyku7n-libre.pdf?1447793280=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DLong_term_follow_up_9_to_20_years_after.pdf&Expires=1715031228&Signature=MoxaJ-RcUdGTzNtuHQ1msxDcR47hKneOpLvIrOTD1VQ2QduV2LSgCFC36nyf3bbTJGq9Qgyjl-qpMA~Dlg2-dDTJ7qU1UeyLe3W1MLLbkaf4KEZsWBtq5E0nEo89v0-Fq19cdj0h8Hmx~jN7liWALI5fC4DD0uDe4lghQ-0E2-G-ZHC6xO1PBbWkgg2JgKLUsbt3Xd9gqVrcIpyMNt4Wh371fNCJpCCjInoGXQrW4dHlFNem30~LwdC5A7ejrvLm2F1ECufrMUhqLWCrsMivILG0IAS3fVmc6Rn3PvdMVG9HUc-sJMgJ5uwJMuVWoF5h2namxBTy7Wq4d4Afh2UHhg__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA#page=89
Wilson, W. M., Smith-Parrish, M., Marino, B. S., & Kovacs, A. H. (2015). Neurodevelopmental and psychosocial outcomes across the congenital heart disease lifespan. Progress in Pediatric cardiology, 39(2), 113-118.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1058981315000442?casa_token=2vbC3kVgTcoAAAAA:q4YCnARgL1uqRCxIaWpVBBS-MijmMVAzbtVv2ayhonA1j0MmPDpDGtZGIjECdjSUTecm6pbB

If your child is at immediate risk for self-harm or is a danger to others, immediately call 911 or the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

If your child requires an urgent mental health assessment, call or text the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line at 833-773-BHHL (833-773-2445) or visit masshelpline.com for initial guidance. Experienced mental health clinicians are available at this line 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to provide clinical guidance, and direct you to appropriate resources. This may include your local Mobile Crisis Intervention (MCI) team, who could come to your home to perform a psychiatric assessment, if appropriate. This may enable you to avoid waiting in an emergency department. The Behavioral Health Help Line clinicians can also determine the most appropriate type of care for your child, help with referrals, and guide you through the next steps in the process. This service is available for all ages regardless of insurance coverage.

If you are looking for non-urgent mental health or substance use resource referrals for your child, you can also call or text 833-773-BHHL (833-773-2445) or start a chat at masshelpline.com/chat.

Related Resources

Want to Learn More?

Look below for related resources, search resources by topic, or explore one of our custom guides.

Don't see what you're looking for? Let us know what you want to learn! We will try to add content to respond to your needs. Email CNPschedulingandquestions@childrens.harvard.edu

© 2025 All rights reserved