Dr Rosario Power, acting principal clinical psychologist with the South Western Area Health Board, helps children and teenagers deal with the problems in their lives
My working day starts at 9 a.m and continues until 5 p.m. I work with children and teenagers in the South Western Area Health Board and throughout the day, I see a mix of clients, taking referrals from social workers, speech and language therapists, public health nurses, teachers and parents themselves. The pre-school children I see are those who aren't getting on with others, who have temper tantrums or other behaviour that their parents or carers find challenging.
As part of a team, my job is to gain an understanding of what is going on in their little world and to find ways to give their parents advice and support.
Sometimes, we suggest the use of a behaviour chart so parents can reward behaviour which they wish to encourage, which in itself places less attention on the kinds of behaviour they wish to discourage.
Some of the primary school children I see are referred to me when there are concerns about their development.
Sometimes, I go to see children in their school or home to observe their behaviour so as to get a fuller picture of how they are with their peers, teachers and parents. Often, I see children who are responding to loss - the loss of a parent through parental separation or bereavement or the loss of friends and extended family members by moving house.
Other times, I see children who are responding to a trauma or an abusive or upsetting experience.
I also see teenagers who are having difficulties making the transition from primary to secondary school or who are having difficulties negotiating the significant developmental change from being a child to being a teenager.
I visit schools, especially following an incident in which someone has died tragically. This is valuable work as it gives the students and staff a link with the local health service if there is future need. I have a special interest in mental health promotion and encourage, what we call, help- seeking behaviour in teenagers so that if they are in difficulty, they know there is someone they can go to talk to.
Over the course of an average day, I see five to six clients, each for about one hour. I also have meetings to attend and supervise clinical psychologists in training. Finding time to see all the children who need psychological support can be difficult sometimes.
What I enjoy most about my job is the honesty of children: they tell things as they are. I also enjoy liaising with parents, schools and other members of the team. It is a privilege to be involved in the lives of these children and their families.
(In interview with Sylvia Thompson)