Who are we?
We are Clinical, Educational and Counselling Psychologists, Psychologists in Training and Assistant Psychologists who work together as a team to deliver the most appropriate support to children and adolescents referred to our service.
What is The Primary Care Child Psychology Service?
Our service offers support to children and adolescents (aged 0 to 17) with mild to moderate psychological difficulties and or non-complex disability related needs.
Our catchment areas include:
- Lucan
- Ballyfermot
- Clondalkin
- Inchicore
- Chapelizod
- Palmerstown
What can we support your child or adolescent with?
Mild to moderate difficulties including:
- Behavioural difficulties or distress
- Cognitive or developmental concerns
- Attention and concentration difficulties
- Anxiety and low mood
- Trauma or Stressful life events
- Difficulties managing feelings
- Assessment and screening of non-complex difficulties
- Social and interpersonal difficulties
- Relationship difficulties between parent and child or adolescent
We always work in collaboration with parents or guardians on how best to support the child or adolescent. It may not always be necessary for us to meet the child or adolescent.
What services do we offer?
We offer many interventions depending on the level of support a person needs. This is called a ‘Layered Care Approach’. Please note some aspects of our service are delivered by tele-health (video or phone).
Self-Help Information
Bibliotherapy - the use of books for therapeutic purposes - is available to everyone. There is a list of recommended books available Maple Unit Reading List (PDF, size 465 KB, 8 pages), many of which can be accessed at your local library or via Borrowbox.
Workshops
We occasionally give workshops throughout the year on different themes of interest for parents or guardians such as Fussy Eating, Sleep, Toileting etc. Please check back as we plan to upload the content of these workshops onto this website.
Early Development Workshop 2023 (PDF, size 1.8 MB, 75 pages)
Groups
We provide a series of parenting group interventions on supporting your child’s emotional regulation, anxiety management, and social communication. We also run a group for adolescents on emotional regulation skills. Please check back as we plan to upload the content of the group interventions onto this website.
Individual Screening and Intervention
We sometimes offer 1:1 screening and intervention to children or adolescents who require a higher level of care. Due to the demand on the service, waiting times for an individual appointment is considerably longer than for group interventions.
How can your child access support?
Parents or guardians can refer a child or adolescent directly to our service.
A healthcare professional (such as your GP, a Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist or Public Health Nurse) or school staff member can also refer with a parent or guardian’s permission.
Please send all referrals to the Maple Unit, Cherry Orchard Hospital, Dublin 10. Referral form available for download below:
NAP Children's Services Referral Form (PDF, size 1.4 MB, 4 pages)
Is parental consent required?
Yes, we require signed parental consent to accept a referral. We aim to seek consent from both parents, where both parents hold guardianship.
Parental Consent Form (Word, size 431 KB, 4 pages)
What happens if your child or adolescent is referred
Referrals are reviewed regularly by the team. If deemed appropriate for the service a referral acknowledgement letter is sent to the referral agent and family. The letter will outline the type of intervention we recommend (e.g. Parent Advice Clinic, parent group intervention etc).
Sometimes, the service may recommend accessing other community services while waiting for an appointment with the psychology service.
Sometimes, we may not accept a referral and recommend an alternative service, if that service would better meet the child or adolescent’s needs.
Together we will decide which type of support would be most helpful for you and your child or adolescent - either in our service or in the wider community.
Where are we?
- The Maple Unit, Cherry Orchard Hospital, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 (Please send all referrals to this address)
- Ballyfermot Primary Care Centre, Ballyfermot Road, Cherry Orchard, Dublin 10
- Steeple House Primary Care Centre, Ninth Lock Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22
Phone number
Phone: 01 795 5305
Data Protection
A talk with a psychologist is confidential.
Information is only shared with specific individuals or services in situations where there is a concern for you or others’ safety.
Sometimes, with your permission, we may contact other healthcare professionals, (e.g. a speech and language therapist) to make sure you are best supported.
HSE Privacy Notice - Patients & Service Users (PDF, size 285 KB, 11 pages)
When is Primary Care Psychology Service not the most appropriate service?
If you are seeking support for school-related or educational difficulties, we recommend you speak to your child or adolescent’s School Principal about accessing a consultation or assessment from National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) (gov.ie).
If your child or adolescent is experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties, please speak to your GP as a referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) may be more appropriate.
If you are seeking urgent mental health support in a crisis, please contact your GP, out of hours GP or the Emergency Department of your local hospital.
Other information
National Educational Psychological Service resources for parents and schools (gov.ie)
My Anxiety Toolbox (PDF, size 4.1 MB, 30 pages)
Parent Booklet on Anxiety Management (PDF, size 423.6 KB, 13 pages)
Parent Emotion Coaching (PDF, size 2.6 MB, 36 pages)
