Pediatric Health Psychology
Illnesses, injuries and surgeries can be mentally and emotionally challenging for kids. Our pediatric health psychology team specializes in working with children who have health conditions. We help them adjust to their diagnosis, cope with a condition or treatment, prepare for surgery, manage pain and more.
Many of our pediatric health psychologists and therapists have extensive experience supporting kids facing illnesses like cancer, epilepsy and heart conditions. We also partner with primary care doctors who see kids who are at risk for mental health concerns. For example, our psychology team works with doctors in our foster care clinic to help children and their caregivers cultivate healthy behaviors and relationships.
Our Programs
Treatments and Services
Tailoring treatments to your child’s needs
Our team provides a range of tests and treatments, depending on what’s best for your child. These include:
Developmental evaluations, to assess your young child’s skills based on what is typical for their age
Pre-surgical evaluations, to identify your child’s strengths and areas where additional support may be needed before an upcoming procedure
Play therapy, which allows younger kids to express their emotions and learn to cope through play
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which gives children and teens ways to understand and control their thoughts, feelings and behavior
Biofeedback, where we use data like your child’s heart rate to help them develop control over symptoms
Hypnotherapy, where your child develops a state of mind that helps them manage how they experience pain and other symptoms
Adherence and self-management, which supports your child in staying on track with medication, diet and other recommendations related to their health
Understanding your child’s needs
A child who has a long-term illness like cystic fibrosis or is facing a challenge like an organ transplant has unique psychosocial needs. Our pediatric health psychology providers work with a variety of medical clinics and services to care for patients like these. On some medical teams, psychology is automatically involved as part of the multidisciplinary team; in other areas, medical providers may refer to psychology when a need is identified.
Our psychologists and therapists have specialized experience caring for kids with medical conditions, so they know the symptoms to watch for and how to treat them. We come up with a treatment plan that’s custom-made to your child’s needs. This can range from a one-time appointment to monitoring your child’s coping over several years while they receive medical care for a chronic condition.
Helping children manage physical symptoms
Many of our patients have conditions that cause pain or other symptoms that may interfere with daily activities. These may include things like joint pain, nausea or discomfort. Our psychologists and therapists teach kids strategies to manage these symptoms.
One strategy that may be used with these symptoms is biofeedback, where we measure signs of stress like heart rate to help kids understand what’s going on inside their bodies when they feel pain or distress. Then we teach kids how to manage these responses and how to see the direct effect they can have on their bodies. These effects might include decreasing their heart rate, which gives them more control over their stress and pain.
Family Resources
Fellowship and Doctoral Training
Tailoring treatments to your child’s needs
Our team provides a range of tests and treatments, depending on what’s best for your child. These include:
Developmental evaluations, to assess your young child’s skills based on what is typical for their age
Pre-surgical evaluations, to identify your child’s strengths and areas where additional support may be needed before an upcoming procedure
Play therapy, which allows younger kids to express their emotions and learn to cope through play
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which gives children and teens ways to understand and control their thoughts, feelings and behavior
Biofeedback, where we use data like your child’s heart rate to help them develop control over symptoms
Hypnotherapy, where your child develops a state of mind that helps them manage how they experience pain and other symptoms
Adherence and self-management, which supports your child in staying on track with medication, diet and other recommendations related to their health
Understanding your child’s needs
A child who has a long-term illness like cystic fibrosis or is facing a challenge like an organ transplant has unique psychosocial needs. Our pediatric health psychology providers work with a variety of medical clinics and services to care for patients like these. On some medical teams, psychology is automatically involved as part of the multidisciplinary team; in other areas, medical providers may refer to psychology when a need is identified.
Our psychologists and therapists have specialized experience caring for kids with medical conditions, so they know the symptoms to watch for and how to treat them. We come up with a treatment plan that’s custom-made to your child’s needs. This can range from a one-time appointment to monitoring your child’s coping over several years while they receive medical care for a chronic condition.
Helping children manage physical symptoms
Many of our patients have conditions that cause pain or other symptoms that may interfere with daily activities. These may include things like joint pain, nausea or discomfort. Our psychologists and therapists teach kids strategies to manage these symptoms.
One strategy that may be used with these symptoms is biofeedback, where we measure signs of stress like heart rate to help kids understand what’s going on inside their bodies when they feel pain or distress. Then we teach kids how to manage these responses and how to see the direct effect they can have on their bodies. These effects might include decreasing their heart rate, which gives them more control over their stress and pain.
Family Resources
Fellowship and Doctoral Training
Meet the care team
Juliana Alba-Suarez, PhDPediatric Psychologist - Pulmonology- RARanya Alnatour, PsyDPediatric Psychologist - Cancer and Blood Disorders
Adrienne Anderson, PhDPediatric Psychologist
W. David Brown, PhDPediatric Psychologist - Sleep Medicine
Julie Germann, PhD, ABPPPediatric Psychologist
Suzanne Holm, PhDPediatric Psychologist
Laura Kuper, PhD, ABPPPediatric Psychologist
Jenna Oppenheim, PsyD, ABPPPediatric Psychologist
Stevie Puckett-Perez, PhD, ABPPPediatric Psychologist - Gastroenterology (GI)- ESEileen Santa-Sosa, PhD, ABPPPediatric Psychologist - NICU/Thrive
Kristin Scott, PhDPediatric Psychologist - Foster Care
Megan Tierney, PsyD, ABPPPediatric Psychologist
Hillary Kimbley, PhDPediatric Psychologist - Neurology
Corinne Anton, PhD, ABPPPediatric Psychologist - Cardiology
Laura Austin, PhDPediatric Psychologist
Randi Cheatham-Johnson, PhDPediatric Psychologist - Cardiology
Sarah Pennant, PhDPediatric Psychologist
Kelli Triplett, PhDPediatric Psychologist - Transplant
Celia Heppner, PsyD, ABPPPediatric Psychologist - Plastic Surgery
Lisa Schuster, PhDPediatric Psychologist - REACH
