Child & adolescent psychiatric assessment
Comprehensive assessment of emotional, behavioural, developmental, relational and psychiatric difficulties.
Based in Killarney, County Kerry · In-person & online
Specialist, compassionate psychiatry for young people, families, and complex lives.
A consultant-led private practice offering careful assessment, thoughtful formulation and evidence-based care for children, adolescents and families.
Please do not include highly sensitive clinical information in an initial email. This is not an emergency or crisis service.
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Specialist psychiatric expertise
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Careful assessment and formulation
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Respectful partnership with families
About the practice
A quieter, more thoughtful way to understand young people.
The Maya Sharma Practice is being developed for families who need careful listening, clinical clarity and a humane approach to emotional, developmental and complex mental-health difficulties.
The practice is led by Dr Maya Sharma, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist. Each young person is understood in context — their development, relationships, education, environment, identity, strengths and distress.
The aim is not simply to attach a diagnosis. It is to build a meaningful formulation and a practical plan that the young person, family and involved professionals can understand and use.
Services
Specialist support for layered and complex presentations.
Services are introduced carefully and may be offered in person, online or through a blended pathway, depending on clinical need and suitability.
Complex formulation
Careful sense-making where difficulties do not fit neatly into one diagnosis or service pathway.
Autism and ADHD-informed care
Consideration of neurodevelopmental needs alongside co-occurring mental-health, family and educational factors.
Emotional distress, trauma and risk
Assessment and planning for anxiety, depression, trauma-related distress, self-harm and other complex concerns.
Medication review and treatment planning
Specialist review of benefits, side effects, alternatives and the wider therapeutic plan.
Second opinions and case review
Independent psychiatric opinion where families or professionals need greater diagnostic or treatment clarity.
Family consultation and guidance
Space for parents and carers to understand distress, risk and practical next steps with clinical steadiness.
Professional liaison and selected expert work
Where appropriate, collaboration with GPs, schools, therapists and other services, alongside carefully selected expert consultation.
Approach
Clinical seriousness, without coldness.
The practice is specialist, formulation-led and family-centred. It is grounded in careful assessment, clear communication and respect for the young person’s dignity.
Warmth
Families should feel met, not judged.
Depth
Complex presentations deserve more than superficial explanations.
Clarity
Assessment should lead to a meaningful plan, not more confusion.
Integrity
The young person’s needs remain at the centre of the work.
“Every young person deserves to be understood in the fullness of their life — not reduced to a symptom, a diagnosis, or a difficult moment.”
Appointments
Two routes into the practice.
Appointment pathways will be confirmed individually so that the setting, timing and clinical arrangements are appropriate for each young person.
In person
Killarney, County Kerry
Face-to-face consultations for young people and families who can attend the practice in Killarney.
Enquire about an in-person appointment →Online
Ireland & United Kingdom
Secure online consultations may be available where clinically suitable and professionally appropriate.
Enquire about an online appointment →
Before booking: online suitability depends on the young person’s needs, risk, age, location and the availability of appropriate local supports. The practice may recommend an in-person assessment or another service where that would be safer or more appropriate.
Trusted information
Reliable mental-health resources for young people and families.
These external sources provide general information and do not replace individual medical advice or emergency support.
HSE
Mental-health supports for children and young people
Irish services, information and support organisations.
HSE CAMHSChild and Adolescent Mental Health Services
Information about specialist public mental-health services in Ireland.
Royal College of PsychiatristsInformation for young people, parents and carers
Accessible information about mental health and treatment.
NHSMental health for children and young adults
Advice and support for young people and parents in the UK.
NICEEvidence-based clinical guidance
National guidance on recognising and managing depression in children and young people.
NICESocial, emotional and mental wellbeing
Public information about supporting wellbeing in education settings.
Referrals & enquiries
A careful first step.
Families and professionals may make an initial enquiry by email. Please include only basic information at this stage: the young person’s age, broad reason for referral, preferred appointment type and your contact details.
Please do not send detailed clinical records, photographs, school reports or other sensitive documents until a secure process has been agreed.
Booking, secure intake questionnaires and advance-payment facilities can be connected through suitable third-party systems when those accounts are ready.
Important: This practice is not an emergency or crisis service. If a young person is at immediate risk, contact emergency services or attend the nearest Emergency Department.
Contact
Make an initial enquiry.
The practice is based in Killarney, County Kerry, with online consultations considered for eligible patients in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The Maya Sharma Practice
Child & Family Psychiatry
Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland
appointments@mayasharmapractice.com drmaya@mayasharmapractice.com Email the practicePlease do not include highly sensitive clinical information in an initial email.