Clinical Child Psychology service for children and families with congenital/acquired heart disease
What is Clinical Child Psychology?
Clinical Child Psychologists have studied how children and adolescents develop, the problems families experience and the way that children and young people think and learn. They have developed a number of ways of looking at these problems and ways of trying to solve them. As these problems can be caused by emotional reactions, Clinical Child Psychologists are often consulted.
The Clinical Child Psychologist on the Paediatric Cardiology unit at the LGI works with individual children, young people and their families. The Psychologist also works as part of the multidisciplinary team of Doctors, Nurses, Dieticians, Physiotherapists, Surgeons, liaison Nurses, and many of the other professionals you may meet whilst on the unit or in clinics.
The Clinical Child Psychologists work with CHD children and their families
Researchers who have studied families who have a child or children with a chronic illness have recognised that having a heart condition, or bringing up a child, who has, can be stressful. The Clinical Child Psychologist aims to help children, young people and their families to deal with a wide range of difficulties that can be distressing. These might be related to any aspect of the child or family.
Parents can often have worries about:
- The way in which their child has been affected by CHD
- Aspects of the condition that are difficult to cope with or manage (i.e. needle phobia)
- Their child’s development
- Relationships within the family
- The behaviour of the child
- Their own adjustment to the diagnosis of CHD
- Living with CHD and issues of loss and grief
Children can have:
- Difficulties in adjusting to CHD
- Issues of loss, grief and difference
- Problems of getting along with others
- Worries about school
- Physical problems exacerbated by worries
- Difficulties in developing basic skills
- Traumatic events in their lives which can lead to anxiety, fears and phobias
One thing for certain is that if you ask to see the Psychologist or your doctor or nurse asks you to consider a referral to the Psychologist, no one thinks either you or your child has a mental illness. In fact, very often a Clinical Child Psychologist can help parents; children and young people understand their problems and help them find ways of solving them.
Are the discussions with the Psychologist confidential?
Yes, absolutely. Clinical Child Psychologists have strict rules about confidentiality and will not discuss what is said with anyone else other than the person who referred you or your child without your permission. Young children sometimes worry about their friends at school finding out what is being said, but this never happens. With teenagers, what they say to the Psychologist is confidential and will not be discussed with parents.
However, Psychologists have responsibilities to protect children and young people from harm and are legally and morally bound to disclose any information regarding children who are thought to be ‘at risk’ to relevant agencies.
If you feel you have a problem that might be helped by talking to the Psychologist, discuss it with a member of the (Specialist Nurse, Cardiologist, etc) who can then refer you to the Psychology service.
