How We Help
There are many reasons why children and their families may see a paediatric psychologist. This can include:
- Adjusting to a new diagnosis or coping with upsetting news
- Managing strong emotions such as fear, sadness or anger
- Support for living with and managing your medical condition
- Coping with treatments that you feel worried about
- Dealing with feelings related to having a medical condition, such as feeling different or self-conscious
- How your condition affects family life and support for parents and siblings
- Difficulties taking medication or sticking to your treatment plan
- Explaining your condition to other people and getting back into school
- Finding new ways of coping with and managing stress
- Support after a difficult medical event or experience
- Managing physical symptoms such as pain or fatigue
As part of our service, we provide a wide range of group interventions for children and young people, as well as their parents and family members.
Groups for Parents:
Newly Diagnosed with Diabetes Group for Parents
This group is for parents of children who have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in the past year. It usually runs every three to four months, and is run jointly with other members of the paediatric diabetes team (such as Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurses and Dietitians).
The group enables parents to meet other parents who are navigating the first year after their child has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. We usually have a guest speaker who is a parent of a child who has been living with diabetes for a while already, and they share their tips on things which they have found helpful.
What parents say about this group:
“I felt more confident when I met with other parents. I have come to know that I am doing the right things. I was very happy to attend the group.”
“It was really helpful to hear about longer established families and how they cope with Type 1 Diabetes.”
Groups for Children:
Tree of Life Group
The Tree of Life Group is an innovative one-day group event for young people living with chronic health conditions. It enables them to build positive views of themselves with an identity separate from their health condition, which aims to promote self-esteem and reduce the impact of chronic illness on their lives.
What children say about this group:
“The best thing about the day was when we were all doing our blood sugars and when we were saying these to each other. It was really good to find out about coping strategies other people use.”
“The best thing about the day was finally meeting people my age that understand how it feels to have diabetes and to be able to talk to people.”
Diabetes Transition Group
This group is designed specifically for young people in the Paediatric Diabetes Transition Service, as they approach the time when they will move to the Adult Diabetes Service and are becoming more independent in managing their condition. The group is often joined by guest speakers.
What people say about this group:
“Everyone had a very friendly, welcoming attitude.”
“I learnt that diabetes is a relatable condition and that I can compare my experiences with others.”