Supporting your child’s wellbeing as routines change
Written by Amy Cottrill, Assistant Psychologist and Family Liaison Co-ordinator at Tom’s Trust. In this blog, Amy shares practical tips to help parents and carers of children with brain tumours support their child’s wellbeing, manage worries and navigate changes in routine. New routines and transitions can bring a mixture of emotions for children and […]
Low-Grade, not low impact: The reality of low-grade brain tumours
Did you know that not all brain tumours are cancerous? This week, we’re talking about the impact of low-grade brain tumours, which can lead to long-term brain injury. Our Director of Service Development Dr Lynda Teape says, “There is a too often held belief that a low-grade brain tumour is relatively harmless. Thankfully for some people, that may […]
A placement with a difference: Our trainee talks
By Rebecca Leventhall, Tom’s Trust’s first Trainee Clinical Psychologist. Cognition (thinking, memory and concentration) really interests me, especially supporting people and their families who have been affected by brain illnesses and brain tumours. So, when I was asked to select my final year placements and saw Tom’s Trust, I knew straight away I wanted to […]
Three ways you can help Tom’s Trust today
What we do We are dedicated to providing psychological support to children with brain tumours and their families. One of the mums we support said: “When my son was first diagnosed with his tumour, my fear of the unknown was so great. I was so worried that I didn’t understand anything about brain tumours, even […]
When a child is diagnosed with a brain tumour, who’s helping the helpers?
More and more grandparents are now involved in raising children for the second time in their lives. This Brain Tumour Awareness Month, we’re shining a light on the impact of brain tumour diagnosis and treatment on the whole family, including the parents of parents. For children with brain tumours, grandparents are often the quiet, unseen […]
Celebrating Ella and Yasmin this Volunteer’s Week
Volunteers are the lifeblood of charities. At Tom’s Trust we have some incredible volunteers who show up again and again to support us. Some help at our fundraising events, some consult on areas of the charity, and then we have our committed group of Young Ambassadors and Trustees. All of them give their time and […]
An interview with Dr Emily Townsend, Tom’s Trust clinical psychologist at Oxford Children’s Hospital
It has been three months since our newest service, that support the Thames Valley region, launched. The service runs from Oxford Children’s Hospital and is already reporting significant impact. We took a moment this Children’s Mental Health Week to catch up with Dr Emily Townsend, our Tom’s Trust clinical psychologist. We discuss her first three […]
Returning to school and bullying
We know that bullying is sadly, an all-too-common experience for school-aged children. As many as one in four of all children will experience bullying at some point growing up. However, for children returning to school after cancer treatment, these numbers are even higher, with between 32% and 49% reporting some form of bullying. What is […]
An interview with Dr Meghan Owens, Clinical Psychologist at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital
As we celebrated a year of the Tom’s Trust service at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital we took the opportunity to interview Dr Meghan Owens, our clinical lead at the centre, about the past year, challenges, how our funding helps, and looking to the future. Before the Tom’s Trust Clinical Psychologist team came on board at […]
Investing in the development of Neuro Oncology Clinical Psychologists
Dr Catherine Harter is a consultant paediatric neuropsychologist and clinical psychologist, and Tom’s Trust is very proud to have her as a Trustee. She has worked for over 25 years within the NHS and independent practice, including neuro-oncology, acquired brain injury, neurodevelopmental (autism, ADHD, Tourette syndrome, rare genetic conditions) and child mental health services. Currently, […]
Three ways you can help Tom’s Trust today
Tom’s Trust Clinical Psychologists support hundreds of children, and thousands of families, within hospitals in the East, North-East and North-West, helping children from diagnosis, through their brutal treatment and as they return to life at home. One of the mums we support said: “When my son was first diagnosed with his tumour, my fear of […]
Talking to schools about a family cancer diagnosis
Impact of a cancer diagnosis There are around 375,000 new cancer cases in the UK every year.* 1800 of these are in children, and 600 of those children are diagnosed with a brain tumour. We know the impact that a diagnosis of cancer can have on families, in particular children. It is important to give […]