Appointments at Westerly Youth Clinic might be different to what you’re used to. They are often longer than GP visits, lasting up to an hour. This gives everyone plenty of time to talk. We also ask questions about all aspects of life, not just your medical history. Adolescent medicine specialists want to understand everything that contributes to your overall wellbeing. We serve as an additional caring, responsible adult who can give advice.
If you come with a parent or guardian, we may ask to speak to you without them in the room. There are many reasons why we might do this:
We want to meet you
We want to hear you
We want to respect your privacy
We want to give you an opportunity to speak up
We want to help you develop independence
Speaking with a healthcare professional on your own may seem daunting at first. But you don’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to and the information you share is confidential. Another member of our team will usually offer to support you when your parents aren’t in the room.
As a young adult (ages 18 – 24), we don’t expect or require you to attend appointments with a parent or guardian. How much you choose to involve your parents, guardians, partners or friends in your care is entirely up to you, and whatever you discuss with us remains protected by doctor-patient confidentiality.
However, the people close to you will always be welcome, and often hold useful information about you, your health or your history. That’s why we’ll give you an opportunity to include them in our initial information gathering process, prior to your first appointment with us.
Some young people can be financially supported by their parents (or other party) to access our service but wish to maintain their privacy and independence. We can help to make such arrangements work for you.
