Pediatric Liaison Psychiatry: A Forum for Separation and Loss

Jk, Whitt; Rs, Hunter; Dykstra, W; Mm, Lauria; Stabler, Brian; Ca, Taylor

doi:10.2190/lg8l-3quw-289r-gyy6

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 25 publications

(4 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Parents who are suspected of physically abusing their children can be especially challenging for staff members. Feelings of being underappreciated, frustration at having little else to offer in the way of treatment, and multiple deaths on the unit can translate into feelings of failure as healing professionals and as a health care team (Whitt et al, 1981). As a means to cope, staff members may avoid or deny the situation, may be reluctant to provide information, or may detach themselves emotionally from the situation.…”

Section: Staff Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health consultation in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Meyer¹,

DeMaso²,

Koocher³

1996

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The need for psychosocial intervention to be integrated with medical care on intensive care units is high, but too often mental health professionals are ill-equipped by traditional training programs for such work. Medical crisis counseling provides a conceptual framework useful in developing the skills needed to effectively intervene in such settings. The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is arguably one of the most emotionally demanding and high-stress areas where mental health clinicians may be asked to consult. This article describes medical crisis consultation in the PICU setting, suggests survival strategies for the mental health consultant to the PICU, and provides illustrative case examples.The words intensive care evoke a visceral response in most people, and the mental health consultant in a general hospital is no exception. The pediatric intensive care setting can be especially stressful because of the presence of critically ill children, distressed family members, and pressures associated with the societal value placed on children. Undoubtedly, diagnostic acumen, clinical experience, and understanding of the consultation process and hospital system serve the consultant well in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) as they do in other contexts.There are, however, unique aspects of consultation in such settings that are worth knowing and that may enhance the consultant's overall effectiveness. Our purpose with this article is to share our clinical perspectives regarding important survival strategies for the mental health consultant to the PICU. We provide an overview of the critical care setting and the types of consultation requests typically encountered. Practical suggestions are detailed in four consultative domains: patient, family, staff, and consultant. Four case illustrations from our clinical work ELAINE C. MEYER earned her BSN and MSN from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She earned a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Rhode Island. She is a staff psychologist and former Linda Pollin Fellow on the multidisciplinary intensive care unit at Children's Hospital in Boston, and she is an instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School. She is also clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, RI. DAVID RAY DEMASO earned a BS and a medical degree from the University of Michigan. He is child psychiatrist and clinical director of the Department of Psychiatry at Children's Hospital of Boston and is assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is clinical mentor in the Linda Pollin Fellows program.

show abstract

Section: Staff Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%