London Medical Paediatrics
Psychological services for children and young people
Here at London Medical, we are dedicated to your child’s total health and well-being. Whether you are looking for ongoing paediatric support or a second opinion from a specialist paediatrician, our world-class consultants deliver care you can trust in a warm and comfortable environment.
Psychological support for children and young people of all ages
Your child’s mental and emotional well-being should be an integrated part of their overall healthcare. As your child navigates childhood, adolescence and the transition to adulthood, their physical and mental health will shape the way they think, feel and act in the home and the world. If your child is dealing with a newly-received medical diagnosis or with the ongoing effects of living with a chronic illness, it can be helpful for them to speak with a psychologist for additional support. At London Medical, we offer psychological services for children and young people of all ages and support for their parents and families.
When might a young person benefit from extra support?
Children and young people are resilient, but there are stressful times in life during which it can be difficult for them to cope. If your child is dealing with problems at home or school or with health issues, it can be a good idea to get an assessment of their mental health.
At London Medical, we specialise in treating children and young people with hormone disorders, diabetes, growth disorders and more. We understand the psychological toll these conditions can take and how they affect how your child deals with issues of self-worth, identity and belonging. When young people experience obesity, pubertal delay, short stature or precocious puberty, they may struggle because they look or feel different from their peers. Alternatively, young people with diabetes might have difficulty accepting the invisible difference that sets them apart from everyone else.
Getting mental health support doesn’t mean that something is wrong with your child or your parenting. We believe in taking a holistic approach to treating our patients — and we recognise that specific mental health needs arise in a medical diagnosis context. In these cases, looking after children and young people’s mental and emotional well-being is an essential part of their holistic treatment.
How do we support emotional and mental health in children and young people?
If your child has a chronic illness, they are facing problems that other children don’t have to deal with. Counselling sessions can help children and young people deal with the many issues that surface as a result of their physical diagnosis, such as:
- Coping with their diagnosis and treatment
- Dealing with social perception
- Establishing a healthy identity independent of their condition
- Working on self-esteem and confidence
- Recovering from burnout
- Communicating with their family
- Dealing with uncertainty
- Taking responsibility for their own care.
With London Medical’s history and heritage as a specialist diabetes clinic, we know how to treat children and young people with diabetes in a way that honours who they are outside of their diabetes diagnosis. We offer psychological support for young people with diabetes, their parents and the whole family that addresses the following:
- dealing with diabetes distress
- managing adjustment difficulty
- navigating diabetes socially
- establishing parental empowerment.
Our approach to psychological services for children and young people
At London Medical, we understand that a medical diagnosis comes with a certain psychological experience. For your child to live well with a chronic condition, they must make an effort to understand the psychological experience that they are having alongside their condition. For young people and their families, it’s important to recognise that this psychological experience doesn’t have to be perceived as negative, even if an individual is experiencing difficult things such as shame, guilt, depression, anxiety or low self-esteem. It’s natural to experience these emotional states during distressing times. It’s our role to help your child normalise their experience and learn healthy, helpful ways of dealing with this.
Our counselling services
After an initial session, your consultant will agree with you and your child on the most effective solutions-based method. As part of our service, we offer:
- Remote or in-person consultations
- Individual and family sessions
- Targeted short-term support or longer-term therapeutic relationships
- Referrals to additional mental health specialists
Meet our experts
Dr Vanessa Pilkington
A psychologist who provides integrative psychological counselling sessions and cognitive behavioural therapy.
Our Paediatric specialties
We offer specialist treatment across a wide spectrum of common childhood illnesses and complex chronic conditions.
Explore our paediatric specialties:
Our Locations
London Medical is located in the Harley Street medical area. Together with top experts across a range of multi-disciplinary fields, we offer the finest facilities for your care, all under one roof.
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 8pm
Sundays - 9.00am to 2.00pm
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 8pm
Sundays - 9.00am to 2.0pm
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 8pm
Speak to a member of our team
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You don't need a referral from your GP to make an appointment with us.
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