Role of CHI Psychologists
At Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), our psychologists support children, young people, and their families when health conditions bring up difficult feelings or challenges.
Who we are
Our team includes clinical psychologists and counselling psychologists who will work with children and young people with DDH who are attending CHI for medical care.
Page contents
On this page you will find information about:
How we can help
Having a health condition can sometimes feel overwhelming. We support children and young people with challenges for example:
- Coping with stress or difficult emotions that may affect their health
- Understanding their medical condition and how it affects them
- Talking with friends or others about their health
- Worries about looking or feeling different
- Taking medicine or having procedures and operations
What we do
We use approaches such as talking, play, and art to help children express themselves. Every child is different, so we use therapies that best suit their needs. Support can be with patients one-to-one or in small groups.
How we help you support your child
We can also provide tools and tips for parents in relation to how to explain your child’s medical condition to them, how to help them manage anxieties or face fears using age and developmentally appropriate language.
This information is best provided individually based on the needs of your child. However general psychological support information can be provided via Webinar.
DDH Referral Pathway to the CHI Psychology Service
If your child has undergone DDH surgery in the past or will be having DDH surgery and you are worried about their ability to cope you can access CHI psychology in the following ways:
- Raise your concerns with Dr Michelle Mc Evoy, General Paediatrician or another member of the multidisciplinary team member at the DDH clinics who can make referral for psychology
Or you can link in directly with the Psychology Department by emailing the DDH specific email address (ddhpsychology@childrenshealthireland.ie) to directly request contact from the psychology department.
- Your email will be responded to within 2 working days
- Following receipt of your email a member of the Administration team or the Psychology department may need to contact you to gather further information from you about your concerns for your child. They will advise you as to the next steps.
- Your child’s case will be assigned to a psychologist