Choosing a Psychologist and Our First Visits

When I began my search for a psychologist to work with Sunshine, I of course did a lot of research before selecting just one. I expected certain credentials as well as expertise in working with the areas we were concerned with. I wanted someone who would be experienced in all aspects and who would pick up on things that we might not be picking up on. With that said I found a psychologist who not only brought to the table the things I was looking for but also who was experienced in  many areas of a child’s development. Yes, what you see in the picture below is just what you get, a man who is kind, gentle, caring, and who takes his job very serious. He not only knows how to communicate with children, but has very good communication skills with the parents. I love the way his tone can go from the adult to the child in the matter of the same sentence, so that he is not only talking to the adult but also bringing the child into the discussion to confirm to them that they need to hear too. I admit at times it was confusing for me and I had to really watch his eye contact to make sure he was indeed talking to me, and not to Selena. Though I know she didn’t miss a beat in the discussion and came home able to tell me exactly why she is seeing this psychologist.

Meet Dr. David Callies and read about his experience:

His focus at Madigan was on the treatment of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems, attention problems, anxiety, problems adjusting to life circumstances, depression, developmental delays, pervasive developmental disorders like Autism and Asperger’s Disorder, deployment-related problems and youth with chronic medical conditions and illnesses.

As the Chief of Child & Family Services at Madigan he provided outreach services and training on child resiliency to service members. In addition, Dr. Callies routinely collaborated with Developmental-Behavioral Pediatricians in the treatment of pervasive developmental disorders and was the lead psychologist in the Diabetes and Hematology & Oncology clinics at Madigan to meet the psychological needs of children with Diabetes, various cancers and other medical conditions.

While he is no longer at Madigan and has joined Gyro Psychology, he continues to strive in the health of a child. He also does a lot of work in the schools, educating staff, parents, and assisting with the children in his care, though he does not work in our school district.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of seeking whoever you feel will be the best for your child. Don’t just rely upon who your Pediatrician recommends, who the school recommends, but do your homework, ask around and visit virtual websites to learn more. It is OK to disagree with your Pediatrician and schools and to seek outside treatment based upon what you feel is best for your child.

The very first visit was without Sunshine. Dr. Callies and I sat down and we discussed why we were seeking assistance. We also discussed what services he provides as well as to his techniques and views of what therapy should look like. He then sent me home with questionnaires for myself, Papa, and Sunshine.

Our second visit was for Sunshine to meet Dr. Callies, and to learn why she was there. He explained this to her while I was in the room stressing that Mom loved her very much, and acknowledges all her strengths including how smart she is, but that mom sees times of too much stress and worry which cause her to break the rules, and act out inappropriately. He then turned to her and told her that she was there to learn to understand this stress and worry and to learn how to make better choices when dealing with these things. At this point he asked Sunshine if it would be OK for Mom to leave the room reassuring her that Mom would be in the waiting room. He even told her that she could come and see Mom at anytime she needed to. She had a hard time letting me go, but gave me a big hug for reassurance and a huge kiss. She did have to come out and check on my one time during their visit. They played card games, worked puzzles and visited the entire time. I was brought back into the room at the end to go over his observations.

He complimented Sunshine on her communication skills, her attention to detail, and while he noticed her fine motor skills were a little behind, nothing out of the range for a child her age. No surprises there. He did get a good look at her photogenic memory when she asked to do one of the puzzles again, he was trying to show me how they broke it into 4 sections. Half way through his explanation she already had the puzzle put together and was ready tear it apart and restack the pieces back in the box ever so neatly.

From here now we begin to map out or journal her days, the times we see her OCD and stress, what we see as the trigger if we can pin point it. We will also begin to put some things together in our home for her to do during these times that will hopefully help her to calm down. A play dough area, a coloring area, reading area, and limited computer time. He really wants to see us get her a tablet, something that is more mobile then a computer so long as her time on it is limited.

On a side note his view on the public school down here was not the best. His opinion definitely matched ours in that they handled the situations of Sunshine very inappropriately. He said we did the right thing in bringing her home. I know for us should we choose to ever look at Public school again we will be prepared to pack up and move to an area where we have more options. We doubt we will ever put her back into the district here.