The
COVID-19
pandemic
has
created
new
medical
fears
for
people
across
the
globe,
highlighting
an
aspect
of
pediatric
psychology
that
is
often
overlooked:
fear
of
the
doctor.
Dr. Meghan (Guthrie) Marsac '03, a neuroscience psychology grad, penned a book to provide parents with the tools, knowledge and skills to support their children facing medical issues and the fears that come with them.
The
new
book
titled
"Afraid
of
the
Doctor:
Every
Parent's
Guide
to
Preventing
and
Managing
Medical
Trauma"
specifically
focuses
on
teaching
parents
ways
to
better
understand
and
assist
their
children
through
medical
traumas
and
related
anxiety.
The book was written alongside mother and rare disease advocate Melissa Hogan. Combining both authors' professional and personal experiences with pediatric psychology allows readers to gain multiple perspectives, which had never been combined in one book beforehand.
"We wanted to be able to give the kids and the families I work with every day the resources to help them manage their medical experience and walk their physical health journey and their mental health journey together," said Marsac in a press release about the book.
Marsac
is
a
pediatric
psychologist
and
a
tenured
associate
professor
at
the
University
of
Kentucky
and
Kentucky
Children's
Hospital.
As
a
leader
in
her
field,
she
has
over
sixty
academic
articles
published
about
pediatric
medical
trauma.
The book has been endorsed by many professionals in the pediatric medical field, including the head of pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt; Susannah Fox, former chief technology officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; John Whyte, M.D., M.P.H., chief medical officer, WebMD; and the Child Neurology Foundation.
Marsac also founded the Cellie Coping Company to provide emotional support kits with coping resources for families.
There are different kits created for specific illnesses, each containing a stuffed Cellie friend, booklets for caregivers and flashcards with information and coping strategies.
"One of my primary goals is to make medical care better for kids and families," said Marsac.
