You meet so many people when you’re in hospital with your child. Who are they all? And what do they all do? In this series, we explore the roles you might come across in hospital and meet the humans behind them!

Living with a long-term health condition can be emotionally challenging. Working in Clinical Health Psychology my role is to support children and their families; from diagnosis, through their treatment/ healthcare journey and help prepare them for transition to adult services.  

I have worked at Alder Hey since 2004 when I finished my training to be a Clinical Psychologist. For the first 15 years I worked as part of the Diabetes team but more recently my role has been to support children from lots of different specialties across the hospital. I have enjoyed working on how we can make every child’s hospital experience the best it can possibly be regardless of what they come for and who they see.

I often meet with children and parents for assessment to help them gain a better understanding of the issues they are facing. This might be affecting them in relation to anxiety, mood, confidence or ability to engage with their healthcare. Assessments help identify the best kind of help for them. Sometimes this is therapy, sometimes it’s by working with their medical team, teachers or other services to find more practical ways to support them. We also run groups for parents or young people so they can get support from others who know what they are going through. We also provide training and support for the medical teams so they are more equipped to understand and support children with the emotional aspects of having a health condition. 

You need to complete a psychology degree and then a three year Doctorate course in Clinical Psychology. This is followed by more specialist training in therapies that can help children and families cope with the emotional impact of living with chronic health conditions. As well as being a good listener, you need to be non-judgmental and know how to adapt strategies to suit the individual, as everyone is different.

I wanted to be a psychologist because I find humans fascinating and because I want to help people. I love working with children because they like to have fun! I like finding out about what young people enjoy and then using this in my sessions. It’s great when they feel comfortable and confident as we work together on issues that can sometimes be worrying, sad and challenging.

It’s wonderful to be able to help children achieve things they (and sometimes parents and medical staff) didn’t think were possible. It’s amazing to see them smiling, proud and feeling positive.   

Another part of my role is supporting the medical professionals who care for children at Alder Hey. They can also find the work emotionally challenging at times and know that looking after themselves is an important part of being able to provide the best care for children. 

Being a parent to a young person who is living with a health condition is sometimes extra hard and requires skills way beyond the usual day to day parenting… You’re doing amazing but It’s ok to need help or just someone to talk to sometimes! 

You can find out more about psychological support for parents in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital here. Many hospitals offer parents professional mental health support. You can ask your bedside nurse about what is available at your hospital.

You can see more blogs from our Hospital Humans series on our website. We also have loads of information to guide you through a stay in hospital with your child, all created by parents who have been in hospital with their child. From admittance to discharge and everything in between, we’ve got you covered.

You can support the vital work we do by making a donation. Even a small amount can help us continue to help parents in hospital.