The BRAIN Center is now providing counseling services
to patients of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and their caregivers at no charge.
To schedule a session or inquire about our services, please contact us:
(901)-287-7337
Kiersten.hawes@lebonheur.org
Counseling services provided at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital aim to strengthen the social-emotional health of patients and families who may have been affected by a life-altering event. Our goal is to offer support and assist patients and caregivers with tools to cope with stress. Counseling is a relationship that involves both risks and benefits. Risks may include experiencing uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, anxiety, or frustration because the process often requires discussing the unpleasant aspects of life. However, this process often leads to benefits such as a significant reduction in feelings of distress, greater personal awareness and insight, increased skills for managing stress and solutions to specific problems.
Counseling services will be provided by Interns in the Clinical Mental Counseling Program at the University of Memphis. The Interns will be supervised by Dr. Eraina Schauss and Dr. Kiersten Hawes. Dr. Schauss is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Mental Health Service Provider and Approved Clinical Supervisor in the State of Tennessee. Dr. Hawes is Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a PhD in Counselor of Education and Supervision from the University of Memphis.
Counseling services are available while the patient is in the hospital at Le Bonheur and after the patient is discharged from the hospital. Le Bonheur Inpatient and Outpatient Clinic counseling services include unlimited in-person individual, family, and group counseling sessions for patients as well as parents/ caregivers of patients at no charge. The costs of the counseling services are being covered by a generous grant from the Urban Child Institute. We also offer telehealth counseling,which is a form of videoconferencing to allow counselor and patients to connect without having to meet in person. Counseling sessions may be scheduled for 15-45 minutes in length and may occur weekly, biweekly or monthly. Clients have the right to stop counseling at any time.
Confidentiality:
Any information shared by clients during a counseling session is confidential, with limited exceptions. Counselors have a legal and ethical duty to protect patient confidentiality, unless there is a threat of harm to self or others or suspected abuse of a child or elderly person. In those situations, information may be shared to the extent needed to protect the safety of the affected individuals and to ensure ongoing care for the client.
Please note, since the counseling services at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital will be provided by student Interns from the University of Memphis as part of their educational experience, there is a possibility that your case may be discussed (using only limited identifying information) as part of the weekly clinical supervision meetings between the Interns and the clinical supervisors in order to allow the Interns to learn from each other and develop best counselor practices.
Dr. Kiersten Hawes | Mental Health Counselor | Kiersten.hawes@lebonheur.org | 901-287-7337
Dr. Eraina Schauss | Faculty | eschauss@memphis.edu | 901-678-3347