Photo of Dr Sharryn Gardner smiling on a yellow background, wearing a summer dress with multicolours

TheraPaediatricianPrivate Paediatrician

CaramoCare logo with the pink, red and yellow half-flowers book-ending the Word CaramoCare. On a white background

Part of the Caramocare family


Got a mixture of medical & psychological symptoms & causes?Then we need to treat both together

Need Medical Paediatric services?


Psychological Pain or issues

Often, young people in great pain or suffering are rejected by CAMHS as they are so overwhelmed they can only see those at the highest riskYoung people are suffering severe anxiety, depression, anger, panic attacks, eating issues & moreOne of the greatest issues is social anxiety
(they can't go out)
or school avoidance (
holds them back & loses the social support of friends)
Being off school effectively cuts them off as they feel unable to see friendsIt's often hard to access helpIf you are in this position, trust a Senior paediatric Consultant who understands the MEdicien and also offers TherapyLife can better
Just reach out

Teenage girl dressed in orange tp and green coat and hat. She is upset or grumpy but looking at the photographer. Her arms are folded. She may be suffering from anger, anxiety or depression.

A green artificial plant background with a pink xenon light superimposed at a jaunty angle which reads 'and breathe' reflecting the freedom in the outcome of these therapies

The Cure

Therapy can seem alien or daunting - it's not I promise!We use two therapies:1) Solution Focused TherapyWhat could life be like?
Looking at how life COULD change if things were a bit better
Visualising this in a real detailed way allows it to become possible and then become reality
2) The BLAST TechniqueReprocessing any episodes where things have been particularly difficultThese can be break-ups, fights with friends, conflicts with parents or siblings or being bullied, for example


About Us

CaramoCare developed from 30 years as a Paediatric Consultant and 12 of Psychotherapy trainingPatients and clients need both and yet nobody (except me) offers both togetherI understand your pressures in Healthcare and your fears
I still practice full-time in Emergency Medicine
I was cured of 30 years of Imposter Syndrome in 6 minutes with BLASTI want you (or your child or teen) to move on with your life & experience joy & normal life again

Photograph of Dr Sharryn Gardner. She is smiling on a yellow background and wearing a multicoloured summer dress

Psychologiocal Pain or Issues


Photograph of a teenage girl with beautiful big eyes and lovely brown hair looking into the distance to the left of the camera with her chin resting on her hand. There is sadness in her face and she doesn't look interested in anyone or anything. She may be

Where does Psychological pain even come from?Everyday experiences often
Squabbles, fights, anxiety
Sometimes, there is something more obviously traumatic, like neglect or abuse. bullyingSometimes, it's part of having a chronic illness or an unpredictable illness like migrainesThe pain can show itself in many ways.
Sometimes, it's hard for the young person to express emotional pain
The pain has to go somewhere so it often surfaces as medical symptoms such as head or stomach aches
In extreme cases, there may be non-medical seizures or unexplained collapses
All of these respond very well to these Therapies.
My Foundation in Medicine ios also really helpful here & it sometimes makes sense to also prescribe medications for symptoms
Don't let a CAMHS rejection get you down
Reach out
There's a lot can be done to help, even when it seems impossible

The cure - 2 therapies


A winding road image with pictures of snowglobes at different points to illustrate the process of joint therapy with Solution Focused Therapy & BLAST Technique. The first snow globe has yellow liquid and is all shaken up, the last has clear settled liquid

My Foundation of medicine is very useful in treating young people with emotional painThe two therapies (used TOGETHER):1) Solution Focused TherapyRather than being stuck in the 'problem', we look beyond it
Often, solutions are completely unrelated to the original problem
Besides, you're smart; you've tried every solution imaginable (resilience training, yoga, meditation, anyone?)We paint that world where things are better in glorious technicolourThen we look at how far you've already gone along that road
(You will have, I promise!)
It becomes possible, feasible, and then starts to come true2) The BLAST TechniqueWe identify some of the most traumatic experiences you've had
Think of it as 'stuff', but it's effectively trauma
It doesn't need to be war or similar to count
It just has to keep triggering you
It can be called PtSD rather than PTSD to reflect the different levels of traumaCalling up those painful memories and reprocessing them once and for all to file them away for good is the basis of the therapyHow?By passing a light from side to side, which you follow with your eyes
We think this, in some way, disconnects the two sides of the brain, temporarily allowing the reprocessing to occur
Effectively, we call up those memories, gently shake them up (a bit like a snowglobe) and allow them to resettle differently so they can then be filed awayOnce they're filed, they no longer sit there up and front, constantly triggering usIf it makes sense already, book the therapy already

About Us


CaramoCare logo with the pink, red and yellow half-flowers book-ending the Word CaramoCare. On a white background

Medicine has changed in the 30 years I've been practisingWe understand much better how Medical issues drive Psychological ones and Vice versaI spent so much time with families where we had no more Medical options and nothing else to offerWhen we reached that point, we'd say it must be PsychologicalIt always seemed a cop-outFamilies felt we had no idea and we just gave upIn fact, it was a mixture of both medical and psychological, and they needed treating togetherAn inspirational nurse (CAMHS Claire) taught me we could treat Psychological issues in the Emergency DepartmentShe left, and then I felt compelled to learn some PsychotherapyI found Solution Focused Therapy, which is simple to understand and learn, though it takes time to masterIt so happened; my hometown in Southport is almost a world centre of Solution Focused Therapy, and I had no idea!I learned Solution Focused Hypnotherapy during the pandemic when I fractured my dominant wristThat didn't really gel with me, but I found the BLAST Technique through thisI volunteered to undergo the therapy during the training and used my own Imposter Syndrome as the subjectIt took 6 minutes to be cured of it foreverI was blown away and now help others to experience the sameMine has never recurred, and it's changed my lifeLet me let it change your life, too

SCHOOL AVOIDANCE


Photograph of mum supporting girl to do schoolwork at home. The girl is holding a pencil & ready to write or draw

School avoidance is a huge issueSometimes for medical reasons (& sometimes after a medical issue it can be hard to go back)Children become more and more behind, making it even harder to go backThey also miss social experiences & can feel 'punished' as they feel unable to see friends or do anything nice (for fear people say that they need to be back at school)School can be difficult for all sorts of children for all kinds of reasonsThe child may have autism, or be bullied, or struggle to keep upThe longer this goes on the higher the pressures on the child, family and school areSchool environments can't easily accommodate changes for many individual children, or others would want the same accommodationsHowever, the problem is now much more widespread than pre-pandemic and it is increasingly challenging to address in the school system
(which is punitive on parents too)
Two Twitter / X pioneers working on this are Naomi Fisher and Pooky Knightsmith and Naomi FisherThey both take practical, empathetic approaches to school avoidance as well as working to preserve the child's safe relationship with parentsI use much of their work and views to deliver therapy to support children and familiesSolution Focused Therapy works well here as the solution isn't being back at school; it's what difference that will makeWhat would get better and what would that then lead toPlease don't give up if your child is off for a whileTherapy works (and quickly)
Please reach out if I can help