What is a “Pediatric Psychologist”?

• I was asked this question recently. And I understand why someone might want clarification. Even my business cards say, “Child and Pediatric Psychologist”. Sounds a bit redundant, doesn’t it? A great topic for a blog post!
• Both Child Psychologists and Pediatric Psychologists are licensed psychologists who have doctoral degrees in psychology. They have also completed an internship and a post-doctoral fellowship. They have passed the “boards,” a test called the EPPP which is typically the last step in licensure to allow a psychologist to practice independently. These doctors are frequently referred to as an (LP), a “Licensed Psychologist”. And we each must prove every two years that we are current about new aspects of our field.
•  And both work with children and adolescents.
• For this blog post, we can assume that when I am referring to a child or pediatric psychologist, all these credentials have been met.

Child psychologists work in many different places including outpatient mental health care, inpatient mental health care, and private practice. They may assess, diagnose, and treat any number of clinical mental health conditions in children and adolescents. They may have “hospital privileges” at local medical centers and/or also be a graduate faculty member of a university in a department of psychology and/or a department of medicine.

• OK, so wait. What about Pediatric Psychologists? There are several similarities as well as certain differences.

Pediatric psychologists deliver integrated behavioral healthcare (IBH) across multiple settings. This means that they work as a team member with pediatricians, and other specialty physicians along with nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, and other healthcare providers like physical therapists. They may have “hospital privileges” at local medical centers and/or also be a graduate faculty member of a university in a department of psychology and/or a department of medicine. And they also assess, diagnose, and treat.

But pediatric psychologists deliver behavioral healthcare in medical settings or collaborate in a specialty area based on their post-doctoral fellowship(s) such as pediatrics and pediatric subspecialties like endocrinology, cardiology, intensive care, gastroenterology, urology, and oncology. Some specialize in pediatric rehabilitation.

My specialty areas are pediatrics and pediatric neurology. I collaborate closely with several local pediatricians and a pediatric neurologist to coordinate patient care. This is now considered “best practice.” 

By working together, we believe that we are able to deliver higher quality care for every child and adolescent.

My post-doctoral fellowships provided me with training and experience with seizure disorders, tic disorders, functional neurological disorders, spinal cord injuries, Traumatic Brain Injury, pediatric brain infections, genetic conditions, and cancers.

So, while I coordinate the emotional and behavioral healthcare related to a child’s health condition, the physician coordinates their medical care. And we communicate about treatments, progress, and next steps.

This represents a unified approach to a child’s health. This is what a pediatric psychologist specializes in- Integrated Behavioral Health.

Here is a “child friendly” informational graphic to help your child understand that they are getting help with a lot of good doctors.

As always, if I can be of assistance, please reach out.

Dr. M