Interdisciplinary Services / Programs
The Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center offers several interdisciplinary services. Our team also works closely with other specialized programs at Cincinnati Children's to help deliver expert, comprehensive care to every patient and family.
Specialized Teams
The Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology team works closely with the following specialized programs at Cincinnati Children's:
Psychologist: Kelly L. McGraw, PsyD
Children are referred nationally and internationally to the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders for the diagnosis and treatment of eosinophilic related disease. Children and families meet with a multidisciplinary team comprised of members from: Allergy & Immunology, Gastroenterology, Psychology, Pathology, and Nutrition. The team psychologist provides services to families and children having difficulty adjusting or coping with illness, to enhance treatment adherence particularly with regard to restricted dietary intake, pain management, and other psychological concerns.
Psychologist: Helmut R. Roehrig, PhD
The Comprehensive Weight Management Center (CWMC) at Cincinnati Children's is a surgical intervention program for significantly overweight adolescents ages 13 to 19. This program offers a family-centered approach to treating obesity in teens -- including long-term after care and emotional support. Patients and their families are counseled and closely followed within a clinical setting, which is designed to meet the psychosocial, emotional and medical needs of overweight adolescents. The psychologist works with prospective patients in assessing whether undergoing bariatric surgery is an appropriate choice for them. After surgery, the psychologist works with the patient and family to provide support and to facilitate adherence with post-operative treatment guidelines.
The Cystic Fibrosis Center at Cincinnati Children's provides multidisciplinary care for children with Cystic Fibrosis and their families. Psychological services include consultation with team members regarding general behavioral, developmental and disease-specific concerns, as well as direct clinical services for children and families. Psychologists also conduct clinical research examining behaviorally based feeding interventions for toddlers and children.
Psychologist: Marsha Nortz, PhD
The Comprehensive Epilepsy Program team helps maximize the quality of life of children with epilepsy while minimizing seizure frequency and medication side effects. The team psychologist provides neuropsychological evaluations for all surgery candidates as a presurgical baseline and also performs serial postsurgical evaluations for those patients who undergo surgery.
Psychologist: Scott Powers, PhD
The Headache Center at Cincinnati Children's is an internationally-recognized, interdisciplinary treatment program that includes the Division of Neurology and the Division of Psychology. Behavioral medicine is an integral part of the state-of-the-art care provided by the Headache Center. Psychologists work with the team of physicians and nurses to promote health behaviors that reduce the frequency of headaches, teach active approaches that lead to optimal adherence in taking abortive and preventative medications for headache, and provide specialized training in the use of biofeedback-assisted relaxation to prevent headaches and help children better cope with pain when headaches occur.
Psychologist: Helmut R. Roehrig, PhD
HealthWorks! is an intervention program for overweight children ages 5 to 10 and adolescents ages 11 to 19. This program, which is part of the Heart Center at Cincinnati Children's, is designed to meet the comprehensive needs of overweight youths and their families. The psychologist helps to evaluate a child's behavior patterns and to facilitate the use of behavior modification relating to diet, physical activity, and family functioning.
Inpatient Rehabilitation
Through the Inpatient Rehabilitation Program, neuropsychology staff provide treatment and evaluation services as part of a multidisciplinary team for children hospitalized with various conditions such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, strokes and other disorders of the central nervous system.
Psychologist: Kelly L. McGraw, PsyD
Children who are being evaluated to undergo liver and / or small bowel transplant participate in a 2-day multidisciplinary evaluation with team members from: surgery, gastroenterology, social work, psychology, chaplaincy, child-life, and nutrition. The transplant psychologist evaluates developmental, emotional, and behavioral functioning as well as identifies potential barriers to post-transplant adherence. The team psychologist also provides inpatient and outpatient services to families and children having difficulty adjusting or coping with the transplant process and to enhance treatment adherence.
Neuro-oncology Program
Children who are undergoing treatment for brain tumors are followed weekly in the multidisciplinary Neuro-oncology Program through the Hematology / Oncology Division at Cincinnati Children's.
Psychologist: Susmita Kashikar-Zuck, PhD
The pain clinic provides multidisciplinary assessment and treatment of chronic pain conditions in children and adolescents. Patients see the pain physician, psychologist and physical therapist at the Pain Management Clinic for a comprehensive evaluation. Treatment usually includes medication, biofeedback, coping skills training and / or physical therapy. The goal of treatment is to reduce pain and improve daily functioning.
Psychologist: Kelly Byars, PsyD
Psychology is actively involved in the care of children referred to the Sleep Disorders Center at Cincinnati Children's. The Sleep Disorder Center offers services geared specifically toward the unique sleep disorders among children. The center uses a multidisciplinary approach to assess, treat and manage children with all types of sleep problems. The center's collaborative approach to care combines expertise from a number of disciplines. Psychology is integrally involved in each of the Sleep Disorders Center's Clinics, which include the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, the Sleep Disorders Clinic, and the Sleep Apnea Clinic.
Psychology is part of the multidisciplinary Turner's Syndrome Clinic, serving children, teens and young adult women with Turner's Syndrome. The psychologist is available through clinic to attend to the emotional, behavioral and academic concerns unique to girls with Turner's syndrome. We work directly with the family in clinic and also assist the family in obtaining necessary services in the community when needed.
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For more information about the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at Cincinnati Children's, please call 513-636-4336. New patients can reach our intake coordinators at 513-636-8107.
