A consultation can be requested with Dr Bennett at her clinic in Geelong, VIC for children aged 0-16 with concerns related to developmental or behavioural issues.
Common concerns that lead to a referral to Dr Bennett often include:
- Development or learning difficulties and Intellectual Disability;
- Behavioural issues triggered by emotional reactions (eg. worries or frustration);
- Self-care challenges (eg. soiling and urinary accidents);
- Attention, focus, hyperactivity and impulsivity issues;
- Autism Spectrum traits;
- Social and relational challenges;
- Past trauma;
- Interrupted attachment, shared care and out of home care arrangements;
- Child Protection or Youth Justice System involvement.
A referral from your General Practitioners is required and will be reviewed by Dr Bennett prior to an appointment being offered to ensure that the clinic can provide the service that your General Practitioner is requesting. You are welcome to contact Dr Bennett’s receptionist at the clinic via email or telephone to discuss your child’s needs prior to actioning a referral.
If your child’s referral is accepted, you will be contacted with an appointment date and time. A Pre-Appointment Questionnaire for carers to complete as well as any prior assessments that your child has had undertaken will be required to be submitted 2 weeks before your scheduled appointment.
In most cases, both the patient (child) and their parent/carers will be seen together at the clinic for the first appointment. Often in subsequent appointments, there are many cases when the patient and their parent/carer will be seen together and separately. Dr Bennett offers parent/carer only appointments, please let the receptionist know if you are interested in this option.
It is useful to prepare yourself and your child for an appointment with Dr Bennett. We provide images of Dr Bennett and the clinic as well as Google maps to assist you with your preparation. We recommend that you plan to arrive at the clinic prior to your appointment time to ensure that you are as relaxed as possible for the appointment.