Tampa General Hospital’s Pediatric Outpatient Medical Coping Clinic is a specialized resource for children and young adults (2-21 years old) managing a chronic illness. Our staff has the unique ability to understand both the medical and psychological impact of an illness on emotions, social life, school, and overall well-being. Services are available to support children and young adults throughout all stages of the illness process. Your needs change as the status of your illness changes and as you work to integrate managing an illness with all the other stressors of life. We provide individualized support that is tailored to best fit each child, young adult, and family. Sessions can focus on working individually with the child, with the family as a whole, or some combination to best manage the significant impact of an illness. Our staff is here to help. The medical coping clinic helps children, young adults, and families.
- adjust to medical diagnosis
- prepare children and siblings for medical and surgical procedures
- reduce anxiety related to painful medical procedures, treatment, or hospitalizations
- increase disease self-management and treatment adherence
- cope with the stress of a chronic illness
- reduce illness-related depression or social withdrawal
- address illness-related school, sibling, or friendship issues
- support children enrolled in school or hospital homebound educational services
- engage in health promoting behaviors
- enhance and promote resiliency
- support children prior to/or after the loss of their sibling
REFERRAL INFORMATION
You need a prescription from your doctor, nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant to start treatment at the medical coping clinic. Families typically get a referral from their child’s primary care provider. You may also get a referral from your child’s specialty physician. While some doctors may require an appointment to make a referral, most are willing to make a referral after a call is made to their office and a referral is requested. Once you have a prescription from your health care provider, call our office at (813) 844-7719, ext. 1. Our staff will verify your insurance benefits and schedule an initial assessment.
Patients are seen at the Tampa General Hospital Rehabilitation Center.
TGH accepts most insurance plans.
INFORMATION FOR PROVIDERS
The licensed clinical psychologist at the medical coping clinic specializes in not only supporting the child with an acute and/or chronic illness, but the family as a whole. We provide a supportive environment that helps families build on their strengths to move towards having happier and healthier children.
Referrals are typically for the following reasons:
- New medical diagnoses or disease progression
- Bereavement support to siblings and families
- Difficulties coping with the stress of treatment or effectively managing an illness
- Support achieving health promoting goals such as weight loss
- Non-adherence to medical treatment
- More effectively manage chronic pain
- Anxiety about medical procedures, treatment, or hospitalizations
- Illness-related physical changes or limitations
- Illness-related depression or social withdrawal
- Illness-related sibling or friendship issues
- Toilet training regimen, constipation prevention
Who should NOT be referred to the medical coping clinic?
Individuals who do not have a primary medical diagnosis should not be referred.
Does the child have to be a TGH patient?
No! We accept referrals from all Florida licensed physicians, ARNPs and PAs.
How to make a referral?
A prescription from a Florida licensed MD, ARNP, or PA is required prior to scheduling psychological services.
Three ways to make a referral:
- Call (813) 844-7719, option 5
- Fax the referral prescription along with an appointment request to (813) 844-1948
- EPIC – create an ambulatory referral to psychology
TGH accepts most insurance plans. Self-pay rates are available for non-covered services.
Call (813) 844-7719, option 5 to inquire about self-pay rates