The name Frances Niarhos may fly under the radar screen for many, but to the hundreds of families of children with cancer, she provides compassion, empathy and a sense of direction to help them navigate through difficult  times.  Frances is a child clinical psychologist at Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.  Her work involves identifying the learning, memory and cognitive problems children can develop as a result of being treated for some forms of cancer.  Once these problems are identified and described, Frances works with parents and schools to develop an appropriate educational plan for the child. A small amount of her work is focused on more “traditional” therapy to help children who are undergoing active treatment of cancer.

One of the accomplishments Frances is most proud of is the program she developed with two of her talented collegues, who are also child psychologists, to support children and their families as they make the transition from full-time cancer treatment to full-time school attendance.

It is with great pleasure that StyleBlueprint introduces you to Dr. Frances Niarhos.

What inspired you to get into your current profession?

Child psychology was a field I was drawn to as an undergraduate.  I think it must have had something to do with the notion that big problems could be prevented by intervening earlier before smaller problems get out of hand.  My current interest in learning issues in children with life-threatening illness feels somewhat like a imperative of current pediatric care. Children with previously life-limiting diseases are surviving in greater and greater numbers all the time, but we need to be sure they are living a quality life, and for children, quality of life necessarily involves school and learning.

You are in a job where you deal with many challenges to assist families through the ordeals of cancer. What advice do you have for women who may be in jobs that are equally stressful?

I imagine not everyone could replicate what I have that keeps me sane, which happens to be two incredible colleagues to work with side-by-side every day.  Research on stress has shown that there is a uniquely female response to stress known as “tend and befriend.”  This is in contrast to the more typical male response of “fight or flight.”  Because I have two great female colleagues to collaborate with all the time, I spend my days “tending and befriending.”  Essentially, women under stress need to stick together and help each other.  My best advice for women in stressful jobs (if you can’t find fabulous women colleagues like mine) is to have an outlet.  You must have a way to fill up your cup, whether that’s through exercise, reading, being with friends, or whatever.  You have to find a way to carve out time for yourself and re-energize.  Personally, my husband and I try never to work at home when we can help it.  You have to draw the line somewhere, and I try to draw it at my front door.

Where did you grow up?

My dad was in academic medicine when I was younger, so I sort of grew up all over the place in my early childhood: Rochester, NY, Washington, DC, and La Jolla, CA.

When and why did you move to Nashville?