Inside Pediatrics Spring/Summer 2026

“This is the first time anybody has tried to integrate psychology into pediatric neurosurgery like this. There are so many questions that we need to answer.”

“This is the first time anybody has tried to integrate psychology into pediatric neurosurgery like this,” Rocque said. “There are so many questions that we need to answer.” That includes developing screening tools to identify which families need support most urgently and tracking service metrics to ensure the model can be replicated.

The result? The walk from the car to the hospital takes just a few minutes. The tantrums in the clinic are over. His parents have space to breathe. All this was achieved over the course of just six, one-hour sessions. Research is also a big part of the program, McRae said. To that end, she and the team are collecting data on how the model functions, including who benefits most, how referrals happen, what interventions are feasible, and whether the approach is sustainable.

“We really want to show that this works,” Rocque said.

Early signs suggest it is. The model has already been adopted in other specialty clinics, including tuberous sclerosis.

“Ideally,” Rocque said, “I would love for this to become the standard of care in pediatric neurosurgery.” ●

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Inside Pediatrics | Children’s of Alabama