Medical Psychology
Child, Adolescent and Family Psychology
Redbank House
The Department of Child, Adolescent and Family Psychiatry (Redbank House) is a tertiary psychiatric service for infants, children, adolescents and their families. Redbank House offers a range of different programmes, which utilise systemic, dynamic and cognitive behavioural treatment methods. Admissions to Redbank House generally occur where outpatient treatment has proven unsuccessful or the severity of problems indicates admission. Redbank House has four full-time clinical psychologists, four part-time clinical psychologists and one full-time clinical neuropsychologist working across these various programmes.
Early Childhood Unit: The Early Childhood Unit provides a tertiary service to children aged 0-5 years and their families. Assessments and consultations are provided, as well as follow-up treatment as outpatients, daypatients and family admissions. Children seen by the Early Childhood Unit typically present with attachment disorders, oppositional behaviour, stress reactions and/or family relationship difficulties. The Early Childhood Unit also runs an innovative group program with parents and their young children, which is designed to target attachment difficulties and improve parent-child relations. The Early Childhood Unit is staffed by a multidisciplinary team, including one 0.8 senior clinical psychologist who also holds the position of Team Leader of this unit (Margaret Goldfinch) and one 0.7 clinical psychologist.
Child and Family Unit: The Child and Family Unit is a tertiary service providing daypatient and inpatient programmes for primary school children aged 5-12 and their families; some outpatient services are also provided. The inpatient service is a family residential admission program, in which families stay on the unit for 1-3 weeks. This family admission program accepts referrals from all New South Wales health areas. The daypatient program is a school-based therapeutic program, with children generally attending the program for an average of two school terms. Programmes are aimed to address childhood emotional, behavioural and/or psychiatric disturbance, and presenting problems include anxiety disorders, affective disorders, disruptive behaviour disorders, selective mutism, significant family disruption, and chronic parental psychiatric illness. All family members living at home are expected to participate in the program. The Child and Family Unit is staffed by a multidisciplinary team, including one part-time clinical psychologist (Melinda Andrews - locum) and one full-time clinical psychologist (Chloe MacDonald).
Adolescent and Family Unit: The Adolescent and Family Unit is a tertiary service that provides programmes for the full range of adolescent emotional, behavioural and psychiatric disturbance (excluding severe conduct disorder and substance abuse). Young people attending secondary school and aged between 12 and 18 years, together with their families, are catered for by this unit. Presenting problems include early onset psychosis, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, behaviour, emerging personality traits, self-harm behaviour, peer relational problems and significant family disruption. Programmes offered include daypatient, individual inpatient, and family inpatient admissions. The daypatient program is a school based therapeutic program. Adolescents attend the program for up to one school term (10 to 11 weeks) and integrate into their local school for one day a week. The individual inpatient program is a five-day per week program. Adolescents admitted for an individual inpatient admission participate in the daypatient program during the school day and in therapy activities after school. One-week family admissions are offered during the school holidays. Treatment involves a combination of individual, family and group therapy. All family members living at home are expected to participate in the program. The Adolescent and Family Unit is staffed by a multidisciplinary team, including two clinical psychologists: Maria Milic and Holly Donelly (locum). This program also has a part-time clinical neuropsychologist: Antoinette Redoblado Hodge and a part-time clinical psychologist/research assistant: Esther Long.
Acute Adolescent Unit: The Acute Adolescent Unit is an eight-bed unit that accepts referrals from all New South Wales health areas. The unit provides comprehensive psychiatric and neuropsychiatric evaluations and treatment for adolescents aged 12-18 with serious mental illness who require containment in a secure unit. Presenting problems include psychosis, severe mood disturbance, suicidality and profound social withdrawal. The average stay is 1 to 4 weeks’ duration; however, complex and treatment-resistant disorders may require a longer admission. The Acute Adolescent Unit is staffed by a multidisciplinary team, including two part-time clinical psychologists: Dianne Fitzgerald and Theona Bustos. This program also has a part-time clinical neuropsychologist: Antoinette Redoblado-Hodge.
Alternate Care Clinic: The Alternate Care Clinic is a specific service for children in out of home care. The clinic’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Social Worker provide assessment and treatment of emotional, behavioural and psychiatric disorders in these children. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, Antoinette Redoblado Hodge, provides a comprehensive assessment of intelligence, cognitive functioning and academic functioning.
Selective Mutism Program: The Selective Mutism Program is a school-based cognitive behavioural program for the treatment of selective mutism. The program runs for twelve months and involves the child’s parent and teacher implementing a graded exposure program with the child within the school setting. Maria Milic, the clinical psychologist who developed this program, is involved in offering psychoeducation, and then planning and monitoring the progress of the intervention. She is currently developing a research project to formally evaluate the effectiveness of this program.
Cognitive Remediation Program: Redbank House provides a cognitive remediation program for adolescents recovering from psychosis. The program is offered on a daily basis (during a one-hour session) and involves the use of commercially available educational software to improve cognitive deficits as identified by neuropsychological assessment. The program is facilitated by Redbank House’s Clinical Neuropsychologist (Antoinette Redoblado Hodge) and Redbank School’s Special Education Teacher.
Supervision and Training: The training of postgraduate students is an integral part of the work of clinical psychologists and clinical neuropsychologists at Redbank House. Placements are offered to Masters and Doctorate postgraduate students from all metropolitan universities, as well as some universities in regional centres (e.g., University of New England, Charles Sturt University). There is a high demand for placements at Redbank House. Clinical psychologists at Redbank House are also involved in the training of professionals from other disciplines based at Redbank House (e.g., psychiatry registrars, medical students, and trainee teachers, social workers, and nurses).
Consultation to community-based
child, adolescent, and family services within the health, education, and welfare
sectors is fundamental to the work of the clinical psychologists at Redbank
House, as the majority of cases seen at Redbank House are referred back to
the community for follow-up. From time to time, formal supervision is provided
to psychologists in the community-based health service by the clinical psychologists
at Redbank House. In addition, Redbank psychologists provide training to other
disciplines in the community (e.g., generalist community nurses, teachers,
and child care workers).
Rural-based clinicians also occasionally visit Redbank House for up to a week,
with the aim of further developing their assessment and intervention skills
in the area of child, adolescent, and family mental health, as well as familiarising
themselves with the service. Clinical psychologists at Redbank House have
been involved in a consultative/supervisory capacity with these clinicians,
assisting them to integrate what they learn at Redbank House with their existing
knowledge and skills.
Clinical Psychologists at Redbank House:
Margaret Goldfinch
Chloe MacDonald
Maria Milic
Antoinette Redoblado-Hodge
Michelle Singh
Elizabeth Woodcock
Holly Donnelly (Locum)
Theona Bustos
Esther Long
Cynthia Mifsud
Updated: 20th April 2006 fsc
