This story first appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of Leaps & Bounds.
Pediatric psychologist Dr. Amanda Suplee specializes in treating hospitalized children with psychological issues such as anxiety and depression. Her expertise extends to working with children with diabetes, solid organ transplants, and chronic pain, as well as conducting neurodevelopmental assessments.
Suplee emphasizes the importance of parents listening to their children and watching for signs of mental distress, because parents can’t always verbalize what’s wrong. She advocates for early intervention and the normalization of seeking mental health support from a child’s school counselor, pediatrician, psychologist, etc.
One of the most important tools psychologists use is validation – acknowledging children’s feelings and teaching them about common emotional reactions to help them feel less alone.
She measures the success of treatment not only by the children’s immediate behavioral changes, but also by their eventual independence from psychological support.
“The long-term goal is for my child to learn and use strategies to deal with situations that would previously have been stressful for him without my ongoing support,” Suplee said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the field, particularly a surge in anxiety and depression among children. Rates of anxiety and depression are two to three times higher than they were before the pandemic, and Suplee says more research is needed to fully understand the pandemic’s impact on mental health. “I think the effects of the pandemic will be felt for years to come,” Suplee says. She has adapted to these changes by offering virtual therapy sessions and getting creative by doing play therapy and art through a screen.
Suplee found her calling while volunteering at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital as a college student. “Visiting the children at the hospital was a very rewarding experience. I felt like I was making a difference, even for just a short time,” Suplee said.
She then realized she wanted to work in a children’s hospital and began studying for a clinical doctorate.
In graduate school, Suplee trained primarily in pediatric psychology, and attended Loma Linda University’s School of Behavioral Health to earn her PhD.
“I even trained as a psychology student in the same rotation that I currently teach,” she says.
Since then, Suplee has worked at several children’s hospitals around the country before returning to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. She says the most rewarding part of working in this field is helping children and their families during some of the most difficult times in their lives.
“It is an honor when parents entrust me with their child’s mental health care, and I know how powerful that trust is.”
