Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

Information for Parents

A child or young person may be referred for the following reasons

  • Behavioural difficulties
  • Emotional difficulties
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Family relationship difficulties
  • Eating Problems and Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia
  • Mood Disorders: Depression, Bipolar Mood Disorder
  • Autism and Asperger's Syndrome (Diagnosis only)

Info for Parents

Teams

A Vision for Change

In 2006 the Government published a report of the expert group on mental health policy. This report is called A Vision for Change. One of the recommendations of this report is that mental health services for children should be provided by multidisciplinary teams. In effect this means that each team is made up of clinicians from different disciplines who all work together to provide a range of therapeutic interventions for each child. Usually a Multidisciplinary Team is made up of the clinicians in the following areas:


1. Consultant Psychiatrist
2. Psychiatrist in training.
3. Nurse
4. Psychologist
5. Social Worker
6. Occupational Therapist
7. Speech and Language Therapist
8. Social Care Worker.


Click on the links to read more information about each discipline in Lucena Clinic.
You can also read the full text of A Vision for Change

Departments

Young Children

Information for young children

Growing up can be fun but tricky. Sometimes people need to talk to a grown up to help figure out a problem. It’s good to talk about worrying things so we can better understand our feelings and how we act.

 

 

Young Children

Information for Teenagers

Overview

Adolescence is an important time of physical, social, emotional and educational development. It can be exciting but confusing. Sometimes it can feel like we don't have any control over what we think or how we feel. But by making simple changes to our lives, we can make a real difference.

Teenagers

History of Lucena Clinic

St. John of God

Lucena was the name of the house and the first hospital which St. John of God opened in 1537 in the city of Granada, Spain. To honour the 5th centenary of the birth of St. John of God in 1495, the Order renamed its Child and Adolescent Mental Health services as Lucena Clinic Services.

 

The Order wishes to extend the same hospitality shown by John to everyone who came seeking help, healing or shelter at his house on Lucena Street, to every child and family coming to any of the clinics at Rathgar; Tallaght; Dun Laoghaire, Bray and Wickow.

 

About Us

Lucena Clinics

St. John of God Community Services Limited

Lucena Clinic Services is the Child and Adolescent Mental Health service of St. John of God Community Services Limited. Lucena Clinic Services is a registered charity and has been providing a mental health service to children and adolescents and their families for over 50 years.

 

The Lucena Clinic services are delivered via our 5  clinics in

 Rathgar  - tel :              (01) 492 3596

 Tallaght  - tel :              (01) 452 6333

 Dun Laoghaire -  tel;    (01) 280 9809

 Bray  - tel :                   (01) 286 6886

 Wicklow - tel :              0404 25591

  

 If you are trying to contact ST. PETER'S SCHOOL  please visit their website. St. Peter's School   or

 ring their DIRECT LINE : 01 4999300 Please do not ring Lucena Clinic as we cannot transfer your call. 

Clinics

Lucena Clinic

Founded in 1955

 

Lucena Clinic Rathgar

Read More

Safeguarding

The safety, welfare and development of children and young people are key priorities 
 

Read More

 

Clinic Locations

View Lucena Clinics in a larger map

Kevin Madigan

Director Of Nursing
 

Social Care Department

Social Care Workers in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) work as part of a specialist multidisciplinary team, providing primarily a child centred approach to all children, young people and their families who attend the Lucena Clinic.

Social Care workers in CAMHS work with all young people under the age of 18 years and their families, who are experiencing mental health difficulties. Social Care Workers currently work with children and young people in the Lucena Clinics in Rathgar and Tallaght, and also work in St. Peter’s Special School. Social Care Workers are members of, and work as part of, the multidisciplinary team in each clinic. The social care workers  in the school work in collaboration with school staff and all professionals involved with the students.

 

When a child is referred to the clinic, Social Care may be part of the assessment process. Depending on the child’s age, assess children through

  •  Play and Observation Conversation 
  •  Individual, and family meeting with parents.
  •  Reports from home and school Questionnaires
  • Standardised Assessments St Peter’s Special School When assessing and planning programmes for students Social Care Workers liaise with the Principal, Teaching Staff, Clinicians and other agencies where appropriate. Parents can have input into this process also.

 

Feedback on progress made is given directly to Parents, Principal, Teachers, Lucena Team Members where appropriate and at case conferences where relevant.

 

This is an outline of the work of the Social Care Department.

 

  • Social Care Workers (SCW) in Lucena CAMHS currently work on clinical teams in Rathgar and Tallaght and in St. Peter's Special School (for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties).
  • We form part of the multidisciplinary team, in providing assessment and treatment for children and young people presenting with mental health needs.
  • For students in St. Peter's School, we are involved in assessing and planning programmes and working in collaboration with school staff, parents, clinicians and other professionals.
  • An important part of our work is building a therapeutic relationship with families and allowing for everyone's voice to be heard.
  • We are involved in providing specialised therapeutic input such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Solution Focused Narrative Therapy, Yoga and Mindfulness based approaches.
  • We also work extensively with parents through psychotherapeutic input e.g Behaviour Management, Parent-Child Attachment work, Parenting programmes, Psycho-educational input regarding their child's diagnosis.