When To Take Your Child To A Pediatric Psychologist

According to the Society of Pediatric Psychology, pediatric psychologists are professionals who aim to "actively promote the health and psychological well-being of all children, youth, and families." Many pediatric psychologists work in the healthcare system, treating mental health concerns in children and adolescents who require medical care. Parents may wonder if or when their child needs to see a pediatric psychologist. In general, any child experiencing long-term illness or navigating the healthcare system may benefit from working with a pediatric psychologist. Parents may also benefit from seeking professional support, as raising children with health concerns can be mentally challenging.

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What are the differences between pediatric psychologists and child psychologists?

Parents and caregivers researching potential testing and treatment options related to their child's behavior or emotions may want to know how a pediatric psychologist and child psychologist differ. 

Pediatric psychologist

In most cases, the term "pediatric psychologist" is reserved for a subset of child psychologists that focuses on children and adolescents needing psychological help due to the impacts of physical medical conditions. In these instances, a pediatric psychologist is usually part of an interdisciplinary medical team that helps a child recover from illness. 

Child psychologist

Conversely, the term "child psychologist" can be used to broadly refer to any psychologists who work with children or adolescents. Most professionals using the label “child psychologist” have a clinical practice focusing on children's emotional and behavioral problems in general. They don’t usually specialize in children's psychological health as it relates to physical health or medical interventions.

Both child and pediatric psychologists can address emotional or behavioral problems in children and adolescents. In the U.S., child and pediatric psychologists usually focus on the mental health of anyone younger than 18. In some cases, a child or pediatric psychologist may also offer their services to young adults or provide family therapy to families who have a child demonstrating disruptive behavior disorders or other mental health concerns.

Sometimes, the terms “pediatric psychologist” and “child psychologist” may be used interchangeably. In these cases, the title a particular professional has can be determined by the preferred term used by their employer rather than by the focus of their work. Before working with a psychologist, it can be important to ask about their specialization and discuss your expectations to make sure they would be a good fit.

Who do pediatric psychologists treat?

Pediatric psychologists may work with infants, young children, school-aged children, adolescents, young adults, and their family members. Often, a pediatric psychology team works alongside pediatric medical teams at the intersection of child psychology and pediatric healthcare to provide psychological support to children receiving medical care. 

Many pediatric psychologists work with children and adolescents who are hospitalized or in intensive care, who are undergoing or have undergone surgery, or who have chronic illnesses requiring repeated medical visits or ongoing care efforts at home.

Evidence shows that pediatric psychologists can be helpful to children with the following challenges:

• Abdominal pain
• Asthma
• Brain injuries
• Cancer
• Chronic pain
• Constipation
• Diabetes
• Disease-related pain
• Eating or feeding problems
• Fecal incontinence
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Needle-related pain
• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• Neurological disorders
• Obesity
• Sleep problems
• Surgery-related pain

What do pediatric psychologists do?

Pediatric psychologists generally help children develop coping skills so they can maintain good mental health and well-being while undergoing medical treatments. For example, they may teach children relaxation or visualization techniques to help them stay calm before a surgery, or they may teach children how to distract themselves from chronic pain. They may also use hypnosis or self-hypnosis techniques to help with pain and anxiety surrounding various procedures, such as blood draws or IVs.

Psychologists for the behavioral health and primary care of a child

When pediatric psychologists work with infants or young children, some of their efforts may focus more on family members than on the children themselves. If a child isn't eating enough food, the pediatric psychologist may help the family learn how to positively reinforce certain eating behaviors and ignore others to help the child move toward more nutritious eating habits.

Sometimes, pediatric psychologists focus on prevention efforts instead of or in addition to treatment. For example, a pediatric psychologist may teach children strategies to avoid injury. These could include behavioral changes when walking or crossing the street that reduce the risk of being hit by a car, for example. They may also teach children or adolescents to prioritize nutrient-rich foods, engage in more physical activity, and avoid smoking.

When to take your child to a pediatric psychologist

You may want to take your child to a pediatric psychologist or request the visit of a pediatric psychologist in certain situations if one hasn't already been recommended to you by your child's pediatrician. Consider reaching out to a pediatric psychologist when your child is or has been:

• Hospitalized or in intensive care
• Diagnosed with a disease or chronic illness
• Experiencing chronic pain
• Needing to undergo surgery or other medical procedures
• Displaying anxiety or fear around health or medical care
• Struggling to eat enough to maintain proper nutrition
• Struggling to sleep enough to maintain adequate daily energy

Benefits of a pediatric psychologist

Pediatric psychologists for developing children agency

Experts suggest that pediatric psychologists can help children develop agency as they experience health concerns and medical care. This sense of agency can safeguard the child from believing they are helpless and may positively impact their ability to recover from or manage their condition. 

Receiving treatment from a pediatric psychologist may also help children gain a sense of stability and become stronger and more resilient, even while experiencing difficult situations. Children working with a pediatric psychologist may experience less of a sense of isolation, as well as become capable of communicating about their bodily experiences, needs, wants, and boundaries.

Finding a pediatric psychologist online

While pediatric psychologists have historically worked with children and adolescents in person, more virtual options are becoming available. The opportunity to meet with a pediatric psychologist remotely, such as via a phone call or video chat, may make receiving this type of help more accessible.

Stressed about your child’s chronic illness?

Talk about it with a therapist

Remote therapy for parents and caregivers of children

Parenting or caring for a child with a chronic illness or disease can be stressful. Therapy may be one option to help parents and caregivers of children with chronic illness learn to cope more effectively. Remote therapy may be especially helpful, since it generally doesn't require a person to travel anywhere, which can be difficult when a parent is already traveling frequently to take their child to doctor’s appointments. Remote therapy can take place from any location with an internet connection. BetterHelp is a remote therapy platform that can connect you with the best therapist for your unique situation.

Studies from experts about remote therapy for children’s mental health

Experts haven't specifically studied remote therapy for parents of children with chronic illness. However, researchers have studied therapy in general for parents of children with chronic illness. A review of 44 randomized controlled trials found that therapy could enhance the parenting skills of parents of children with chronic illness. The review also found that, in many cases, therapy resulted in better mental health, less depression, and less anxiety for parents.

Research suggests that online therapy usually produces the same results as face-to-face therapy, so it’s likely that online therapy for parents of children with chronic illness could be just as effective as traditional in-office therapy.