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Specialist Adolescent Health Clinics

• Chronic Fatigue Clinic
• Healthy Eating Program
• Adolescent Gastroenterology
• Irritable Bowel Clinic
• Young People's Respiratory Clinic
• Adolescent Mental Health Clinics
• Adolescent Gynaecology Unit

Chronic Fatigue Clinic

Chronic fatigue syndrome can be a debilitating and complex problem for adolescents and their families. Dr Kathy Rowe provides assessment, consultation and management to young people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and related syndromes. Dr Rowe has many years experience in supporting young people and families who are coping with CFS and is able to offer many useful strategies for improving life with CFS.

The young person is encouraged to personalise the individual management plan to promote a greater sense of control over their life. Dr Rowe is especially helpful in liaising with educational authorities and other health professionals to ensure that physical, social, educational and emotional needs are met and that opportunities are maximized, and disadvantages are minimized while they are recovering.

 

Healthy Eating Program

The Healthy Eating Program at the Centre for Adolescent Health is a state-wide service that offers assessment, consultation and treatment services to young people with a variety of eating concerns. Our approach is to provide the best possible health care within a framework that supports normal adolescent development.

We see most young people and their families at the Centre for Adolescent Health, an outpatient setting that is physically separate to the main Royal Children's Hospital.  The adolescent physician provides an assessment of the young person and then functions as a case manager.

We provide assessment and management to young people at secondary school. We also help  link those who present in later adolescence with appropriate local and more adult oriented services.

Eating disorders are complex conditions. We believe that the treatment of eating disorders occurs best when a team of health professionals is involved. At the Centre for Adolescent Health, in addition to an adolescent physician, our team generally involves specialist nutritional support and individual and family therapy. Many adolescents with disordered eating also suffer from problems such as depression and anxiety. It is important that these are also identified and treated.  We work closely with health service providers in the young person's community, and aim to support parents and families as much as we do the young person themself.

Our focus is on outpatient management but when necessary, we provide inpatient care at the Royal Children's Hospital through our Adolescent Unit. This is the largest inpatient/outpatient specialist treatment centre for adolescents in Victoria. When indicated we also admit patients to the Banksia Adolescent Inpatient Unit at the Royal Children's Hospital Mental Health Service (for those young people who live in the Western Region).

Banksia Unit

The Centre for Adolescent Health is part of the Victorian Centre for Excellence in Eating Disorders (CEED) 

Adolescent Gastroenterology

Dr Tony Catto-Smith is available to see young people with abdominal or gastroenterological problems.

 

Irritable Bowel Clinic

The Irritable Bowel Clinic is run by Dr Renata Kukuruzovic and Dr Annette Webb.  Adolescents referred to the Irritable Bowel Clinic have frequently tried medical therapies with little success. Dr Kukuruzovic and Dr Webb perform a thorough assessment of patients and, when appropriate, commonly use hypnotherapy for the management of this syndrome.  To date they have found that hypnotherapy offers significant benefits to young people's experience of pain and quality of life.

 

Young People's Respiratory Clinic

The Young People's Respiratory Clinic, run by Professor Susan Sawyer, provides specialist health care to young people with a range of respiratory concerns including asthma, breathing and sleep problems. In addition to diagnosis, there is a focus on working with young people to promote their capacity for adherence with the treatment regimen and self-care. Specialist respiratory health care is provided within a developmental framework that understands the contribution of family, school and peer, and mental health issues to respiratory health and adolescent wellbeing.

 

The Asthma Foundation of Victoria has a wealth of useful information for young people with asthma.

Adolescent Mental Health Clinics

Adolescent mental health and wellbeing is affected by a wide range of factors, including developmental and biological, physical and social factors. The Centre for Adolescent Health is committed to the provision of developmentally appropriate mental health care to young people. Attending to young people's development, adjustment and mental health and wellbeing is a component of all health services at the Centre for Adolescent Health. More specifically, this is achieved through a range of different clinical services and programs, including:

• Adolescent Physicians at the Centre attend to both mental health, developmental and physical health issues (link to Adolescent Physicians)
• Group programs (Link to community programs)

In addition, specialist mental health provide a range of services, including Referral to community-based mental health services.

• Brief mental health interventions
• Individual Therapy
• Family Therapy

Specialist mental health staff

• Monica Hadges MA LMHC - Mental Health Coordinator
• Professor George Patton MBBS MD FRANZCP - Adolescent Psychiatrist
• Dr Sharon Brodtman MBBS FRANZCP - Adolescent Psychiatrist
• Dr Carole Wigg MBBS - Family Therapist

Referral process:

The Centre's Adolescent Physicians consult with young people with various physical and mental health issues and are involved in the diagnosis and ongoing case management of young people with mental health concerns. Secondary consultation is provided to them by the Centre's specialist mental health providers, who are also available for primary consultation with young people where appropriate.

Generally, young people are first assessed by our Adolescent Physicians. Internal referral to the Centre's specialist mental health providers is then arranged if indicated. 

• Adolescent Physicians
• Centre for Adolescent Health Mental Health groups
• Royal Children's Hospital Mental Health Services 

Adolescent Gynaecology Unit

The Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology Unit comprises a team of gynaecologists working at the Centre for Adolescent Health. Referrals include paediatric gynaecology problems, dysmenorrhoea and menorrhagia, menstrual management in young women with disability, metabolic and endocrine problems such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Turners syndrome, and problems with delayed and advanced puberty. There is close collaboration with other clinical staff at the Centre for Adolescent Health and the Royal Children's Hospital. The program is affiliated with The Young Women's Program at The Royal Women's Hospital.

In addition to individual consultations, various support groups are run for young women with different gynaecological medical problems. Clinical staff run a monthly multidisciplinary meeting (Paediatric and Adolescent Interest Group) to discuss current issues in young women's health.

Adolescent Gynaecologists Medical Staff

• Dr Sonia Grover MBBS, FRACOG, Gynaecologist (Director)
• Dr Paddy Moore FRACOG, Gynaecologist
• Dr Yasmin Jayasinghe MBBS, FRACOG Gynaecologist
• Melissa Cameron MBBS, FRACOG