GLOSSARY OF PROFESSIONALS AND SPECIALIST SERVICES

Art Therapy: 

uses art materials to encourage individuals self-expression and reflection. The overall aim of its practitioners is to enable a client to effect change and growth on a personal level through the use of art materials in a safe and facilitating environment.

Audiologist:

assesses for degree of hearing loss and advises on devices for hearing amplification.

Child psychiatrist:

specializes in the assessment and treatment of behaviour and emotional aspects of infants, children, and adolescents; medical doctor who can prescribe medication.

Clinical psychologist:

provides non-medical diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of emotional and behavioural problems for individuals or groups.

Cranio-Sacral Therapy:

involves a very gentle touch of the practitioners hands, both for diagnosis and for treatment. This light contact may be taken up on the cranium (the head), the sacrum (the tail-bone) or any other part of the body as appropriate.Craniosacral therapy improves people's quality of life in general as well as helping with specific problems. It can help you recover from the results of accidents, falls and strains as well as diseases. Psychological and traumatic conditions can also be helped. Cranial work can reduce stress and improve the functioning of the immune system.

Dietitian:

A registered dietitian (RD) has been specially trained up to university degree level, particularly to work in hospital and clinical settings, but is also able to advise you on all aspects of your diet. They specialise in nutritional assessment which is used together with clinical information to prescribe appropriate dietary treatment. Diet is the cornerstone of treatment in many conditions such as diabetes, coeliac disease, malnutrition, renal and hepatic diseases and certain paediatric disorders. The Dietitian's overall aim is to educate patients to make informed food choices required for the dietary management of their condition and to ensure nutritional needs are met. They also have a key role in the management of artificial feeding and support to family and carers when required. Dietitians have a major role in nutrition and health promotion initiatives and disease prevention programmes.

Dramatherapy:

main focus is the intentional use of healing aspects of drama and theatre in a therapeutic process, working and playing using action methods to facilitate creativity, imagination, learning, insight and growth.

Educational psychologist:

administers psychological and educational assessments, prepares written report that interprets test results and behaviour, and consults regarding education and behaviour.

GP:

a medically qualified doctor who practices general medicine as a family practitioner. Some GPs are also qualified in specialised medicine . Can prescribe medication and refer patients to other specialists.

Health Visitor: 

a registered nurse or midwife who has undertaken further training to work as part of the primary health care team. Their role is to promote mental, physical and social well-being in the community by giving advice and support to families in all age groups.

Kinesiology :

Study of the mechanics and anatomy of human movement and their roles in promoting health and reducing disease. Kinesiology has direct applications to fitness and health, including developing exercise programs for people with and without disabilities, preserving the independence of older people, preventing disease due to trauma and neglect, and rehabilitating people after disease or injury. Kinesiologists also develop more accessible furniture and environments for people with limited movement and find ways to enhance individual and team efficiency.

Learning Assistant:

works within the class room to support children with additional learning needs.

Learning Support Teacher:

assesses educational needs; develops and carries out programs for school-related behaviour and learning problems.

Music Therapy:

provides a framework in which a mutual relationship is set up between client and therapist enabling changes to occur, both in the condition of the client and in the form the therapy takes. By using music creatively in a clinical setting the therapist seeks to establish an interaction, a shared musical experience leading to the pursuit of therapeutic goals which are determined by the therapist’s understanding of the client’s pathology and personal needs.

Neurologist:

specializes in diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the brain and nervous system; medical doctor who can prescribe medication

Neuropsychologist:

assesses brain functioning and its relationship to learning and behaviour through psychological tests

Nutritionist:

is trained or an expert in the field of nutrition. Some nutritionists are also registered dietitians. Nutritionists work in a diversity of settings including health promotion (both clinical and non-clinical settings), research, university lecturing, the food industry and the media.

Occupational therapist:

assesses for and provides training to improve muscular strength, motor, or sensory coordination and functioning.

Ophthalmologist:

A medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of eye defects and disease. Can prescribe corrective lenses and perform eye surgery.

Optometrist:

A licensed doctor who is trained to examine the eyes for visual defects and impairments, and to prescribe corrective lenses and provide other types of treatment.

Orthoptist:

is an important part of the eye care team, working in close association with ophthalmologists and optometrists, usually in a hospital-based setting. They assess, diagnose and treat visual function problems, abnormalities of eye movements and dysfunction of eye co-ordination in children and adults, such as squint, amblyopia/lazy eye and double vision.

Osteopath:

A trained professional who works with their hands and uses a range of techniques to treat conditions like back pain, sciatica, migraine, sports injuries, repetitive strain injury, and asthma. Osteopathy is an established, recognised system of diagnosis and treatment. The underlying philosophy is that the body has a natural tendency to heal itself but this can be disrupted by abnormalities in the skeleton, soft tissue, or the relationship between them. An osteopath investigates a patient's symptoms, using many of the diagnostic procedures from conventional medicine. The patient is assessed on a mechanical, functional and postural basis. Manual methods of treatment appropriate to the individual patient are then applied

Paediatrician:

specialises in the primary care of infants, children, and adolescents; medical doctor who can prescribe medication.

Physiotherapists:

are experts in movement, from the way we move our backs or limbs, to the way we breathe. They aim to restore function and activity, and prevent illness and injury, giving people the independence to remain in work and in their own homes. Physiotherapy is a health care profession concerned with human function and movement and maximising potential.

Psychiatrist:

medically qualified doctor trained in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental health conditions. Can prescribe medication, as well as recommend other forms of treatment.

Psychiatry:

is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental health conditions. A person that carries out psychiatry is called a psychiatrist. Unlike other mental health professionals such as psychologists and counsellors, psychiatrists must be medically qualified doctors, who then specialise in psychiatry. This means that they can prescribe medication, as well as recommend other forms of treatment.

Sensory integration therapy:

aims at improving the way a child's brain responds to and makes use of sensory information and how this is used to plan, co-ordinate and organise movement. It also has a positive effect on self-confidence and self esteem.

Social worker:

provides counselling and support for individuals and families. Can advise on all manner of benefits and daily living needs.

Speech and Language therapist: 

provides assessment and training to improve communication skills, specialist assessment, diagnosis and treatment for children and adults with communication and/or swallowing problems. Their work covers the areas of speech, language, voice, fluency, swallowing, reading and writing skills and includes teaching alternative and augmentative methods of communication.