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Our website www.chmed.comFacebook Page  & Twitter account  are all updated frequently.
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CALL US FIRST!
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Many urgent situations are not really emergencies. "Urgent" means something you think shouldn't wait until morning or until our next office hours to be seen, or something you need advice about right away, but which does not seem immediately threatening to life or limb. Urgent situations are far more common than emergencies in childhood.
WHENEVER POSSIBLE IT IS BEST TO CALL THE OFFICE FIRST!
One of our providers is always available - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (YES-EVEN SUNDAY) - to give advice or make arrangements for your child to be seen, either by us at the office or by an appropriate pediatric specialist at Children's Hospital OR MGHfC, if needed.
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Our Blog
"The Script"
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A group blog dispensed by your children's Medical Office Providers. Take as needed! 
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Dear Patients, Families and Friends,
Many of you are already aware that we have two wonderful psychologists from Psychological Care Associates located right at Children's Medical Office. Dr Bronson and Dr Graham have been a tremendous asset to our team and we enjoy working with them daily to provide integrated care to our patients. Drs. Amanda Bronson and Donna Graham, provide consultation, evaluation, education, brief treatment and referral guidance for children and families, together and in coordination with your primary care provider at CMO. In addition to the previously listed services, PCA at CMO also offers daily call-in to the psychologists to all of our patients. This call-in is intended for Q&A, mild guidance and introductions. Call 781.645.7228 11:30am-Noon Monday-Friday to speak with Dr Bronson or Dr Graham. This newly added newsletter offers insight to some of the frequently asked questions during call-in. Sincerely,
Children's Medical Office
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Going forward, we at PCA thought it would be fun & helpful to share examples of parent questions posed to our psychologists during Call-In Time, & our responses. Don't worry, nothing will be shared that is personal, unique, or identifiable. Rather, the questions will be notable for the common chords they strike in many of us, along with our effort to share practical feedback.
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Q: "My 8 y.o. son witnessed our dog being attacked by a neighbor's dog. Now my son is terrified to go outside, even though it's been several days since the attack. What can I do to help him?"
A: No doubt you've already validated his sadness & fear, but sometimes traumatic experiences require more than this. In an otherwise healthy, well-developing child, this problem will get better, but first expect your son to show some temporarily regressive behaviors. TLC is certainly needed, yet don't go overboard: don't allow a pattern of avoidance or regression to take hold. Instead, gently & firmly maintain your routines, increase your availability with brief check-ins, & progressively expose your child to whatever they are trying to avoid. In this case, your child's fear of going outside would be tackled immediately but step-by-step, with your supportive presence at first, gradually increasing the distance your son will walk outside with you, & then without you. Don't be surprised if, after great progress, there's some backsliding; this often occurs under stress, & the same principles will apply.
-PCA at CMO
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Q: " My child is plenty old enough to be sleeping in her own bed, & used to, but ever since she watched a scary movie she insists on sleeping in our parental bed. We were understanding at first, but now we can't get her out, or if we do, she only crawls back in our bed in the middle of the night! "
A: Such a common, stubborn problem. This will only improve with 1st-- your conviction to implement the advice, & 2nd-- the acceptance that you will not sleep well for a week. As with tackling all fears, children need a tricky balance of your TLC, a clear message that you have faith in their resiliency, & skills. Being "brave" is something every child wants. That said, don't push her out without a safety net. And, be sure to have buy-in & agreed-upon small rewards for progressively braver steps in the plan. Depending on the age of your child, you may start by having her sleep on a mattress on your floor. Every single time she crawls into your bed, place her back on the mattress with your firm reassurances. Next step is expecting her to be in her own bed, but the key is to use predictable, regular check-ins at small intervals which will ease her anxiety. Assure her you will continue check-ins even after she falls asleep. Keep your promise. Agree on longer & longer intervals between check-ins. If your child comes into your bed, immediately escort her back & continue the check-ins. Key=reward the progressively longer intervals & braver efforts... not just the end result!
-PCA at CMO
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Q: "I just found out my teen daughter did some cutting recently. She adamantly denies that this is an ongoing problem, claiming she only tried it once & she'll never do it again, & that she isn't in distress anymore. What do I do now? Do I believe her? Do I take her to therapy?"
A: This is a complicated question but there are some general principles that can be helpful in response. First, though, we have to take a step back. While you desperately want a quick answer to know whether your child is safe & okay, the initial step entails readying yourself for a challenging but potentially intimate parent-child dialogue. Your goals as a parent are to: 1.take advantage of a vulnerable moment to communicate together & ask some necessary questions in a respectful way; 2. demonstrate that you have the emotional resiliency to hear her & support her, even if it raises your own anxiety; 3.be open to taking action. Let's say you do all that, & you feel reassured that her initial answer was genuine-she's not voicing deep sadness or despair, nor urges to cut again. This can be accurate, provided your response is on track. Unfortunately, nowadays a growing number of teen girls experiment with cutting simply because their friends talk about it & teens yearn to be in sync with their peers. For kids like this, the motivation is social bonding more than a sign of real emotional distress or underlying problems. Labeling this for your teen can be very helpful to them & allows for discussion of healthier ways of bonding & feeling socially included. By all means, reinforce her good judgment to never cut again & label it as her strong inner voice & clear sense of self that knows what is acceptable for her as distinct from the group. All this being said, let her know that a Consultation with the psychologist is necessary to ensure that nothing is missed, that coping skills are reinforced, & for you to stay on the right track as a family. Whenever a child has cut, a Consultation with a psychologist is recommended; this is absolutely critical when your child remains in distress.
-PCA at CMO
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