BUSHkids 2017-18 Annual Report

171

teleHealth sessions delivered since start of trials in 2016-17

Case Study Nine-year-old Laura and her mother Nicole 2 have been working with BUSHkids telePsychologist Kaitlin Hinchliffe in the trial of teleHealth services in the Emerald region. Kaitlin has been working with Laura to help manage her anxiety and build her confidence. “It has been a learning process the whole way through,” Kaitlin said. “I’m based in Brisbane and from here I can conduct sessions with Laura and her mum in Emerald where we also have a teleHealth setup. “We use videoconferencing but it’s more than the simple setup you use to chat with your relatives overseas. We have multiple cameras so I can see Laura and her mum and they can see me, but there are also cameras so we can see what’s happening on each other’s desks: I can write and draw on the screen – and so can Laura – so we can interact together in a similar way as we could if we were sitting next to each other.” “As the sessions have progressed I’ve been adjusting my approach to draw on Laura’s strengths, such as her ability with art and her hands-on learning style.

“In that way, I maximise our engagement and we can get the most out of the sessions. “For a child like Laura who’s very hands-on [and] arts and craft [orientated] it’s been a little harder for her to try and make that connection … over the computer,” said Nicole. “She responds better doing craft with a person in front of her; but then she also felt more comfortable talking to Kaitlin because it was on the computer; she didn’t have that person ‘in her face’ … “Once Kaitlin came to Emerald, Laura had the chance to make that human connection so her online sessions have been a lot better. She’s now getting more out of the teleHealth sessions. I think in the first couple of sessions, you know, the internet would just play up for us. But that was the only thing.” “Kaitlin is fantastic. I have another child who saw a different Psychologist, but didn’t feel comfortable with them. I’m very very comfortable with Kaitlin … she’s been very accommodating; she’s been fantastic. I feel like Laura’s not a ‘number’ – I feel like Laura matters to her. I feel like she cares about all her patients.”

6 2016–17

69 2017–18

96 2018* *1July–31October

25

Jessica Campbell spoke with BUSHkids’ Kaitlin Hinchliffe about working remotely What’s it been like using teleHealth to work with Laura and Nicole? “It has been a learning process for me the whole way through, from the initial assessment phase, working one-on-one with Nicole, to therapy sessions with Laura (with support from Nicole in the room) via teleHealth and in person, and also liaising with the school. “I’ve been trying to tailor and adjust my approach as the sessions progress, to draw on Laura’s strengths, such as art and her hands-on learning style, and thereby maximise her engagement.

And how has that been working out in practical terms? “In our most recent session, Laura was the most engaged and responsive I’ve seen. We had a ‘Thought Challenger’ board game I’d created and set up, with the board and counters at Laura’s end; we each had dice to roll, and some cards. “I know Nicole was happy and I felt Laura got a lot out of it – she even wanted to take the game home, which is great because she will keep practising and applying the skills. It’s been encouraging to see the gradual change in Laura’s positive mood and confidence!”

Image courtesy of Eiji Suzuki

2 Not their real names