Dr. Claire Crowe,Senior Clinical Psychologist: Paediatric Diabetes & Endocrine Psychology Service
Claire, a Senior Clinical Psychologist, provides the Paediatric Psychology service to the children and adolescents who attend with Endocrine diagnoses including Diabetes, Turners Syndrome, and Prader Willi. Claire meets all children with diabetes attending their outpatient clinic as part of a preventative model of care provided by the Diabetes team. Claire offers individual therapy and facilitates psychosocial groups for these children and their parents. Claire’s role is to help young people with any psychological difficulties that may have arisen as a result of their medical condition, for example difficulty adjustment to diagnosis; needle phobia; difficulty managing worries or fears; and developing pain management skills. Sometimes Claire carries out psychological assessments with children to inform treatment or to clarify their cognitive skills and abilities if this is impacting their medical treatment or management.
An initial appointment with Claire is usually offered to the patient’s parents in order to explore their concerns about their child, and to learn a little about their child and them as a family and the strengths they have to help their child. Following further assessment, Claire will choose an appropriate form of treatment depending on the individual’s age and needs. Therapies may include Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Play Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Telephone: (01) 414 4599
Referrals: Referrals received from the Consultant Endocrinologists
Dr. Laura Gallagher, Senior Clinical Psychologist: Neurodevelopmental & Child Neurology Service
Laura is a Senior Clinical Psychologist who works with children who are attending the Paediatric Neurologist or the Neurodevelopmental Clinic.
Laura works with children under six in the Neurodevelopmental Service providing assessment and diagnosis of developmental difficulties. In the first step of the assessment process, Laura meets with a child’s parents to hear their concerns and to gather information about the child’s behaviour and development to date. Next, Laura will conduct an assessment by observing the child and using assessment tools to look at intellectual ability, communication, social and adaptive behaviour. Laura works closely with all the clinicians in the Developmental Service, so that a comprehensive assessment and diagnosis can be achieved. After the assessment Laura meets with parents to discuss the assessment and support parents in understanding their child’s diagnosis. A written report of the evaluation is provided detailing the assessment, diagnosis and where to access appropriate intervention.
Laura also works with children and adolescents attending the Child Neurology Service. Sometimes young people with a neurological condition will be seen for assessment to see how their condition may be affecting their thinking skills, learning, behaviour and emotional well-being. This neuropsychological assessment can look at overall cognitive ability, memory, attention, planning, language skills, visual-perceptual skills, academic achievement, social skills and behaviour. This type of detailed assessment can help parents, health professionals and teachers, and the child themselves, understand the child’s strengths and weaknesses and find supports that best suit the child’s needs. Laura also provides therapeutic intervention to children and young people if they are having difficulty coping with and accepting their neurological condition, or if it is impacting on other parts of their lives.
Telephone: (01) 414 4599
Referrals: Referrals received from the Consultants in the Neurodevelopmental Clinic and Child Neurology Service.
Helen O’Neill, Senior Clinical Psychologist: Paediatric General Medicine
Helen is a Senior Clinical Psychologist in Paediatric General Medicine. She provides a psychology service to those children who have general medical conditions currently attending consultant paediatricians in the Hospital. She works therapeutically with children, adolescents and their families. She is a certified teacher of the Mindfulness in Schools Paws b and .b programmes, and teaches these mindfulness programmes to groups of young people referred to psychology with recurrent pain (e.g. RAP, chest pain, headaches). She also runs mindfulness based stress reduction courses for hospital staff.
Referrals: Referrals are accepted from Consultant Paediatricians and are received through the Department of Psychology secretary on (01) 414 4599.
Helen Gibbons, Senior Counselling Psychologist: Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis
Helen is a Senior Counselling Psychologist with the Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Team. Within this team the role of the psychologist is to provide support to all of the children and families affected by CF
Many young patients and their families adjust very well to the diagnosis of CF. Others experience difficulties coping or adjusting to the diagnosis at the early stages, while some people appear to adapt quite well initially and may only begin to experience difficulties weeks, months or indeed, years later. Helen’s role is to provide help at any time the young person (or his/her family) may need additional support. Patients or families may meet the psychologist for just one or two sessions, or they may engage in a longer term therapeutic intervention depending on his/her needs.
Telephone: (01) 414 3101
Referrals: Referrals received through the CF Team, though young people and parents are welcome to contact Helen directly.
Telephone: (01) 414 4599
