Our Psychology service delivers care to patients, both children and adults, throughout our hospital departments as well as in outpatient, community and rural settings.
Our Psychologists provide assessment and intervention for patients who develop emotional, behavioural and/or cognitive issues secondary to their medical condition, illness or injury or where such issues are impacting on their health improvement.
Some of our services are:
- Promote psychological well-being and adjustment to illness
- Implement psychological interventions to decrease the impact of co-morbid issues e.g. anxiety and depressive symptomatology, poor sleep patterns, eating difficulties, and emotional responses such as anger and grief
- Facilitate health behaviour change and self-management processes in relation to trauma, injury and/or disability with the aim of reducing hospital admissions and re-admissions
- Assist individuals to cope with the diagnosis of an acute health problem and the associated medical treatment to reduce levels of stress and anxiety and improve response to treatment
Examples of services offered:
- Formal psychological testing (cognitive, psychosocial, mood, mental state examination, etc.)
- Health behaviour assessment
- Determination of cognitive strengths and weaknesses to assist in the planning of rehabilitation and recovery
- Assessments to assist with diagnosis
- Risk assessments
- Assess capacity to make decisions regarding finances, medical interventions etc.
- Psychological Supportive Psychotherapy
- Health Behaviour Change
- Preparing patients for physical treatments and interventions
- Psycho-education about diagnosis and treatment
- Group programs
- Pain management
- Referral to other services where appropriate