Services - Department of Psychology
- About us
- Location
- When to refer to a Clinical Psychologist or Neuropsychologist?
- What do we offer?
- Who Benefits from Our Services?
- Which Suburbs Do We Cover?
- How to Make a Referral?
About Us
The Psychology Department is in the Community Oriented Paediatric and Adolescent Services (COPAS) Division of the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) and is staffed by Clinical Psychologists and Neuropsychologists. The department offers specific clinical and neuorpsychological services to referrers in the hospital and in the community, in addition to providing services within multidisciplinary settings such as the Mental Health Service, the Gatehouse Centre, Uncle Bob's Child Development Centre, School Function Program in the Centre for Community Child Health, the Developmental Assessment Centre in the Centre for Child Development and Rehabilitation. The department also has links to adolescent and forensic services programs. Clinical Psychologists and Neuropsychologists are trained to comprehensively assess children's cognitive functioning within a developmental framework. Neuropsychologists are skilled in the assessment and understanding of the effects of brain function on the child's cognitive, behavioural and emotional states.
Clinical Psychologists specialise in the assessment and understanding of the interaction between cognitive, developmental, psycho-social and environmental factors on normal and psychopathological functioning in children, parents and families. They are also trained in making diagnoses and in a variety of therapeutic techniques.
Location
The Psychology Department is located on the 1st Floor, South East Building of the Royal Children's Hospital (Gatehouse Street, Parkville Vic 3052).
Director, Department of Psychology: Professor Vicki Anderson
Deputy Director: Dr Lesley Bretherton
When to refer to a Clinical Psychologist or Neuropsychologist?
For advice regarding referrals contact:
- Clinical Psychology Co-ordinator: Dr Lesley Bretherton
- Neuropsychology Co-ordinator: Ms Jacquie Wrennall
What do we offer?
- Developmental, behavioural, and psychosocial assessment, to provide an understanding of the presenting problems and their origins
- Standardised, comprehensive cognitive, neuropsychological, and educational achievement tests which evaluate intellectual and learning ability;
- Diagnostic assessment involving structured interviews and/or rating scales, and/or projective tests in cases where this is relevant to the child's presentation;
- Short term interventions based on a range of treatment models and techniques including cognitive behaviour therapy, individual psychotherapy, family therapy, pain management, parenting skills, group therapy;
- Secondary and tertiary consultation and liaison to professionals within the hospital regarding psychological problems related to children, parents and families;
- Group therapy programmes from time to time.
Who Benefits from Our Services?
We accept referrals for:
- children who present with complex developmental, cognitive, learning, behavioural or emotional difficulties in the context of a chronic medical disorder;
- children who present with challenging developmental, emotional, learning, behavioural or academic difficulties, where assessment requires a high degree of specialised knowledge and skill;
- for a tertiary level consultation or second opinion for children who present unresolved diagnostic dilemmas after appropriate initial assessment at a primary level facility;
- Where an understanding of the child's cognitive and emotional state is critical for medical treatment planning, or in managing non-compliance with treatment;
- where an understanding of the child's cognitive and emotional state is critical for medical treatment planning, or in managing non-compliance with treatment.
- Children who present with an identified or suspected neurobiological disorder eg. epilepsy
- Children with an acquired a brain injury as a result of head injury, cerebral infection anoxia etc.;
- Children with an illness which may affect brain function, such as diabetes, leukaemia, heart disease etc.;
- Children who require treatment and rehabilitation planning and programme implementation .
Which Suburbs Do We Cover?
We are a statewide service for children meeting our referral criteria (see under who benefits from our services).
How to Make a Referral
- Complete all details of psychology referral card or referral letter;
- Send referral to psychology department
- An acknowledgement of acceptance will be sent to the referrer and to the family, indicating how long before an appointment will be given;
- An appointment will be sent to the family when the case has been allocated.
More Information
For advice regarding referrals contact:
Dr Lesley Bretherton
Tel:9345 5881
Coordinator Of Clinical Psychology Services
or
Ms Jacquie Wrennal
Tel: 9345 5881Coordinator of Neuropsychology Services
or
Professor Vicki Anderson
Tel: 9345 5881Head of Department
or
Mary Illiadis
Tel: 9345 4679
Personal assistant/Office Manager
or
Anna Kouselas
Tel: 9345 5881
Administration Officer
or
Bernadette Cirillo
Tel: 9345 5881
Administration Officer