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Your consultation will be with Dr Vincent McDarby, Chartered Clinical Psychologist, or one of his team, all of whom are Chartered Psychologists. You can choose which psychologist you have your consultation with at the point of booking

The consultation will last up to a maximum of 40 minutes

The psychologist provides expert advice and guidance on a wide range of issues in relation to children and adolescents including, general behaviour, anxiety/worry, feeding, sleeping, toileting, socialisation/relationships, school & learning, communication, mood, development, concentration & attention, screen-time & social media, autism, intellectual disability, parenting, divorce/separation, bereavement, sensory issues, etc.

No, consultations are for parents and caregivers only. Children are not to be present during the consultation

Many issues in children (e.g., behaviour problems, feeding issues, sleeping, toileting, anxiety, etc.) are addressed by psychologists working primarily through the parents and caregivers, rather than directly with the child.  The psychologist will be able to advise you if the issue of concern to you is something that can be addressed by working with you or if it needs direct work with your child

Dr McDarby and his team don’t provide any assessment or counselling/psychotherapy via Parent Advice .  However, if you think your child might need an assessment or counselling/psychotherapy, you can discuss your concerns with the psychologist and they can advise you on whether an assessment or counselling/psychotherapy is warranted and, if so, how best to access the appropriate service and/or professionals

Yes, in fact parents regularly book follow-up consultations to work through and review advice given at previous consultations

Yes, both you and your partner can sit in on the consultation.  In fact, it is often beneficial to have both parents/caregivers present for a consultation, as the information covered is usually relevant to both of them

After making your booking, you will be provided with an opportunity to complete an optional pre-consultation questionnaire, where you can provide additional information about your child and the issues of concern to you.   This information will be read by the psychologist in advance of your consultation and will help them to get a better understanding of your child, and allow them to focus specifically on the issues of concern to you

You can discuss any number of children during your consultation

You can book a consultation by clicking “Book a consultation" above

Consultations cost €165 and are paid for at the time of booking using our online secure payment portal

Yes, consultations that have been booked may be cancelled for a full refund (minus a €4 processing fee), as long as they are cancelled more than 48 hours before the consultation time. Consultations that are cancelled within 48 hours of the consolation time and non-attendance at consultations are subject to the full consultation fee. To cancel your consultation, please click on the link in your confirmation email. Alternatively, you can email info@parentadvice.ie with your booking reference number (this is contained in your booking confirmation email), the email address you used to make the booking, and the date and time of your booking

In order to allow timely access to the service, consultations cannot be booked more than three weeks in advance of the date of the consultation

Consultations are available at different times between 8am and 8pm Monday to Saturday. Consultations are in high demand and so available consultation slots book up quickly

It is not possible to book face-to-face consultations. All consultations are undertaken via Zoom or telephone

For a Zoom consultation you need a computer with an internet connection and working webcam, microphone and speakers. It is advisable that you test all your equipment in advance of the consultation

You can access Zoom through your web browser without the need for installing any additional software or creating a Zoom account

You can use your mobile phone for the consultation by downloading the Zoom app from the App Store or the Google Play Store

At the time of your consultation, click on the Zoom consultation link that will have been emailed to you. You will then be taken to a virtual waiting room and Dr McDarby will start the consultation when he is ready. If you have never used Zoom before, it is strongly advised that you do a Zoom meeting test by going to https://zoom.us/test

Yes, you can arrange to have your consultation over the phone.  When booking the consultation, you will be given the option of having the consultation over the phone, rather than by Zoom

Yes, consultations are completely confidential and private

Yes, you are free to record your Zoom consultation. Often a lot of information is covered in the consultation and parents find it beneficial to be able to play back the consultation to review the information covered.  It can also be beneficial to play back the consultation for a partner/spouse, who wasn’t present during the consultation

No, Parent Advice do not record your Zoom consultation but you are free to do so

During the consultation, the psychologist may take notes which will form part of your electronic health record (EHR). If you complete the pre-consultation questionnaire or provide Parent Advice with any other documentation, this will also form part of your EHR.  The EHR is stored securely and confidentially in line with GDPR legislation

You have a right to a copy of your electronic health record (EHR) to verify its accuracy or to ask for it to be supplemented, deleted, updated or corrected. If you would like a copy of your EHR, please email info@parentadvice.ie requesting same and a copy will be provided to you within 30 days