FAQs

Paediatric psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on the mental, emotional, and behavioural health of children and young people, within the context of medical conditions and challenges. It brings together principles of clinical psychology, child development and healthcare to support children and families in coping with a wide range of difficulties, including chronic illness, trauma, anxiety, anger and depression.

Paediatric clinical psychologists work in various settings, such as hospitals, clinics and private practice. They provide assessments, therapy, and interventions tailored to the child’s and family’s needs. Their goal is to promote resilience, emotional well-being, and healthy coping strategies, to ensure that children and young people can emotionally thrive despite any health conditions.

I have specialist knowledge in diabetes and sickle cell. However, I support children and parents with the emotional impact of living with any type of physical health condition.

Yes, I work exclusively online. Online psychological therapy offers a safe, convenient, and confidential space to explore your thoughts, emotions, and challenges from the comfort of your own home. Sessions are conducted via secure video calls, allowing for meaningful connection and professional support without the need to travel.

At present my core hours are Wednesday to Friday between 9.30am and 3pm. However, I am able to offer a limited number of appointments outside of these times. Please contact me to discuss this more.

The initial appointment will focus on understanding your hopes and goals for therapy. We will also determine who would benefit most from participating in the therapy. If your child or young people is likely to attend therapy sessions, I recommend that they join their parent or caregiver for the initial assessment. However, if needed, the psychologist can also meet with individuals separately.

I am unable to provide support outside of your scheduled appointment times. If you have an emergency or require urgent crisis support, please call 999. This number can be used for mental health difficulties just as much as physical ones.​ If you need help urgently but it is not an emergency, please call 111.

The Samaritans are also available 24/7 to listen at any time of the day or night. You can talk to them about anything that's troubling you, no matter how difficult. You can contact them for free:

• on 116 123

• https://www.samaritans.org

All of our sessions are kept confidential, which means that I will not disclose information to a third party unless you have given me permission to do so. There are however, a few exceptions to this:

I may discuss certain cases with a clinical supervisor, this is a mandatory requirement in order to practice as a clinical psychologist and helps to ensure that I maintain my high professional standards. We have supervision contracts in place to ensure that this information remains confidential and it is not shared on.

The only other time that I would need to break confidentiality is if you spoke to me about risk of harm to yourself or to someone else, in which case I have a duty of care to take action to ensure that you and/or other people, are kept safe.