Pediatric Consultations

Child Development and Parent Guidance in Pediatric Settings: The Model

The following is the model that I generally use when I collaborate with pediatric practices to support families. However, I am happy to tailor my services to meet the individual needs of your practice and patient population:

• Pediatricians and nurse practitioners refer families to me when there are questions or concerns about behavior or development of children birth to 8 years that are beyond the scope of what can be addressed during a routine office visit.

• Once a family is referred, I provide the following services:

  • I commit to seeing all families referred to me in a timely fashion, usually within 2 weeks.

  • I take responsibility for scheduling my own appointments. Parents pay me. There is no cost to the practice for my services.

  • I meet with families either in the pediatric office—when there are exam rooms available—or in my office in Northwest DC. (Note that I am currently doing telehealth exclusively using a secure platform.) The benefit of my meeting with families at the pediatric practice is that it communicates that this is an integral service of the practice, a value-added component that parents appreciate, and that shows the commitment of the practice to address behavioral health issues that so many families struggle with. Providing this direct connection to me means that many families who would otherwise be unlikely to seek help from an outside source, at a mental health or parenting center, benefit from important guidance they might otherwise not receive.

  • I connect with childcare centers and preschools to gather more information about children, and to collaborate with providers/teachers to support children.

  • I make home and school visits when deemed necessary to fully understand and support parents and teachers in understanding and nurturing their young child’s healthy development. The opportunity to observe children in their natural settings enables me to get a more accurate sense of children’s functioning and to see the dynamics at play firsthand between children and their teachers/caregivers or parents.

  • I make referrals to other clinical services when necessary, such as to Child Find, OTs, play therapists and other specialists.

  • In addition to individual work with families, I offer a range of parenting workshops.

• I also provide training to residents on child behavior and development and working effectively with families.

• To learn more about my services, check out this link.