A Clinical Psychology Service for young people living with illness, physical health problems and visible differences
‘Families facing serious paediatric illness are essentially ordinary families facing extraordinary stressors.’
Kazak (1997)
Being a young person can be fun, exciting and full of opportunity. It can also be a time of dilemmas and stress. Add in having to manage an illness and life can easily tip into feeling difficult, overwhelming and uncertain. It can feel hard to know how to thrive at this stage of life, whilst also doing all the things that the illness demands. This can also be a tricky time for parents, siblings and carers to navigate, and figuring out how to live well in the face of all of this.
This is where we come in. Anna and Jemma have 40 years of collective experience of working with young people and their families, who are living with illness and/or visible differences. We ultimately believe that all young people are amazing. Sometimes it’s not about how talented you are or how hard you try. Life can get stuck because the demands are just too great.
We are passionate about working with young people to help them get un-stuck, and thriving in all areas of their life – for you to be happy with yourself, in your relationships, and with thoughts about the future, all whilst keeping up with whatever the illness throws at you. We also work with families to do the same.
About us
-
Dr Anna Hames
Clinical Psychologist
Anna qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in 2007 from Royal Holloway, University of London, and has additional post-graduate training in Family Therapy and Coaching Psychology. Anna has worked in the NHS since 2003, predominantly with young people living with chronic illness and with their families. She also has specialist experience in working with young people who are developing aspects of their self-identity, including their gender identity and sexuality. Anna has worked across a number of acute hospitals and centres of excellence, including Guys & St Thomas’, The Evelina Children’s Hospital, King’s College Hospital, The Tavistock Centre, and Southampton Children’s Hospital.
Anna feels passionately about improving young people’s experiences of living with illness, as well as creating better services to meet their needs. She has been privileged to work alongside hundreds of young people as they find new ways to navigate the often unwelcome challenges that illness during adolescence and young adulthood can bring, and take control of living life the way they want to live it.
Anna is a registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC registration number PYL05606). She has an enhanced DBS check.
-
Dr Jemma Day
Clinical Psychologist
Jemma qualified as a Clinical Psychologist from The Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King’s College London in 2013. She has worked with young people and families with a range of different presentations, in various NHS posts at King’s College Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital and The Evelina Children’s Hospital.
Jemma’s main therapeutic approaches are cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), narrative and systemic ways of working. She has extensive experience in the supervision of other psychologists and in the training of doctoral students. Jemma greatly enjoys working in a job solely designed to decrease suffering and help young people re-discover the things they love about life.
Jemma also enjoys conducting research and training, and has published in several peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. Her research interests focus on the psychological impact of chronic illness, and staff support.
Jemma is a registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC registration number PYL30850). She has an enhanced DBS check.
What we do
-
We work with young people from early adolescence through to people in their late twenties.
Some of difficulties we are expenienced in helping people with include:
Adjusting to a new diagnosis, or a new stage of illness or treatment
Feeling different from others
Exploring self-identity (including around health, appearance, disability, gender and sexuality)
Decision making about treatments
Keeping up with treatments recommended by health care teams (e.g. taking medication, diet and lifestyle restrictions, attending appointments)
Low mood
Anxiety
Managing relationships (including a desire for relationships) with family, friends and more
Trauma associated with any aspect of illness, treatment or wider life
Developing independence
Managing symptoms (e.g. pain, tiredness)
Negotiating education, employment and what you want for the future
We are trained in a range of psychological therapies, which helps us to adapt our approach to your specific needs and preferences.
For more information about our experience with young people, and the approaches we use, please see: here
-
Parenting is hard. Parenting with illness in your family is another level. And once you feel life has some stability again then everything can change. Living with uncertainty can become the uncomfortable norm.
As well as supporting your child and family through all the ‘normal’ ages and stages of development, you are having to attend to all of the stages and varying demands of the illness and treatment. Sometimes these completely clash - for example, a dependent baby needing to be separated from their parents in hospital, or an adolescent striving for independence who is forced into a level of dependence on others. Often parents become experts and advocates for their children, and then the transition into adult services comes along.
Anna and Jemma have worked with hundreds of parents, carers and siblings, at all different life stages. We see you as the family member you are, and also as a human in your own right.
We see all family members, individually or as family units.
Some of the situations we have supported many others with include:
Adjusting to a family member’s illness, disability or treatment
The whole range of emotional responses that can come with having illness or disability in your family - including, but not limited to, low mood, anxiety, grief, frustration, anger and loss.
Remaining in parent role with your child/children, whist looking after the illness
Managing low mood, anxiety, anger and trauma experienced by your child/family member
Treating trauma reactions in family members who may have witnessed something happening to their child/sibling
Adjusting to a new family life stage
Supporting you to support your young person with developing the independent skills needed to transition into young adulthood (including adult services, moving out of home etc)
Improving relationships within the family
For more information about our experience with families, and the approaches we use, please see: here
-
As well as being Clinical Psychologists we are trained in Coaching Psychology. Coaching is a way of talking together to figure out what you want from life and how to get there, including how to address any challenges that might get in the way. We draw on psychological theories to support you towards your goals, but our conversations will always be driven by what you feel is most important. We will always respect you as the expert in your life.
A coaching psychology approach is ideal for young people who might feel a bit stuck in their stage of life, and want a more action-oriented approach to help empower them as to how to make the next steps towards the life they want to be living.
Coaching can be a one-off conversation or a series of conversations. It can also be integrated within a wider set of Clinical Psychology sessions. We agree on this in our first conversation together.
-
Anna & Jemma have extensive experience in supervising professionals, including psychologists of all grades as well as a range of non-psychology colleagues (including doctors, nurses and allied health professionals).
In addition to her working with young people, Anna co-leads a Staff Psychology Service at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) and is able to see professionals who are affected by difficulties relating to their work.
We offer both individual and group supervisions, as well as reflective practice sessions.
We are also experienced in providing training to professionals on a range of topics.
If you think we might be able to help then we would love to hear from you!
Get in touch
If you think we might be a good fit for you or your family, then we we would love to hear from you. Send us a message using this form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
We are not a crisis service, so please do not contact us if you are in need of immediate support. If you feel you or your family might be at imminent risk of harming yourself then please call 111, your GP, present at A&E or call the Samaritans.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Anna & Jemma