PATIENT CARE
Because physicians have a limited amount of time to cover many things, we can save them some time and enhance overall patient care by diving deeper into the areas that we have expertise in as psychologists. In turn, a patient who is healthier mentally is going to function better overall and have improved treatment adherence. We have a great team, and I believe an integrated team provides better care,” said Amy Cherry, Ph.D., director of the Pediatric Psychology Program and an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Section of General and Community Pediatrics. The Pediatric Psychology Team is comprised of 11 psychologists, nine with faculty appointments in the Section of General and Community Pediatrics and two in the Section of Hematology-Oncology. Three are integrated in primary care clinics and the rest provide care and consultations in specialty clinics and on inpatient floors, in disciplines that include gastroenterology, rheumatology, endocrinology, nephrology, cystic fibrosis, and others. The team has grown steadily over the past 15 years and is considered a model for both traditional mental health services and care that is provided for patients with specific medical diagnoses.
Pediatric psychologists are integrated into the care teams for both inpatient and outpatient children’s services.
J. Carrick Carter, Psy.D., is the director of psychosocial services for the Jimmy Everest Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Children, where the psychology team meets with all patients newly diagnosed with cancer and provides care and support to families as needed throughout treatment. The center has several specialty clinics, including the Brain Tumor Clinic, the Neurocutaneous Syndromes Clinic, the Sickle Cell Clinic, the Bleeding Disorders Clinic, and the Cancer Survivorship Clinic. The team’s initial role is to simply meet patients and families where they are in handling the heavy news of a
Psychologists Meet Needs of Children, Families in Integrated Care Model A team of OU Health pediatric psychologists — integrated within Oklahoma Children’s Hospital and multiple primary care and specialty clinics — provides mental and behavioral health services that are crucial for the overall well-being of children and their families. On any given day, psychologists support a family whose toddler has received a difficult cancer diagnosis, an adolescent with diabetes who will soon be caring for his own health as an adult, a student experiencing anxiety at school, and youth in a multitude of other scenarios. Because they are part of interdisciplinary care teams, the psychologists collaborate with physicians and other healthcare providers to meet each child and family’s specific needs. That approach, while still mostly found in academic healthcare settings, is recognized for its ability to best deliver care in the biopsychosocial model. “The psychology field is moving toward integrated care as an effort to decrease stigma, increase access to care, improve care management, be more cost-effective and lower risks.
Amy Cherry, Ph.D.
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