Patient Stories
Molly’s story - Molly was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 2 years old. She is now 12 and has been feeling really worried and angry about managing her condition in high school. Molly feels different from her friends and is fed up of managing her blood sugars. Molly and her parents met with the psychologist to talk about her worries. Through talking and drawing, Molly learnt how to deal with her worries, and made a plan with the psychologist for managing her injections when at school.
Jacob’s story - Jacob needed to come into hospital for bloods tests and was feeling very nervous. Jacob wasn’t sure what the tests would involve and had lots of questions like “will it hurt?” and “how much blood will they take?”. Jacob met with the psychologist to talk about some ideas to help with feeling relaxed about the tests. Jacob also spent some time with the hospital Play Specialists to role-play would happen during the test and to help prepare through play. Jacob learnt how to deal with his worries and how to not feel as nervous about the blood tests.
Riley’s story – Riley was coming into hospital for an operation and felt scared of what was going to happen. Riley was really worried about the ‘going to sleep’ part of the operation. Riley met with the psychologist to talk about her worries and what was making her feel nervous. Riley and the psychologist came up with a plan together on how to help make the operation seem less scary, and to focus on the fun parts about coming into hospital like the play room and meeting the Play Specialists.
Ellis’s story – Ellis was being badly bullied at school. Around the same time, Ellis’s parents separated and Ellis didn’t want to ‘add to their stress’ by telling them about the bullying. Ellis stopped going out with friends and started coping with big feelings by relying on comfort foods. Ellis was struggling with low self-esteem when seen by the Connect team for weight management support. Ellis saw a psychologist in Connect and was able to talk about everything that had happened. The psychologist helped Ellis understand the impact of the bullying, and supported Ellis to talk to Mum, Dad and school about it. The psychologist also helped Ellis to develop new skills to manage big emotions. By the end of the sessions, Ellis felt more confident and motivated to work towards living a healthier life.