People with diabetes can  experience a wide variety of emotional and behavioral challenges. These challenges may or may not be directly related to diabetes but usually affect a person with diabetes.
The USF Diabetes and Endocrinology Center has a board certified licensed physiologist on staff to help with:

• Difficulty taking care of diabetes
• Challenges adjusting to having diabetes
• Fear of injections
• Behavior issues such as “acting out” or temper tantrums
• Mood challenges like depression, anxiety, and/or anger
• Family conflicts
• School Problems
• Problems getting along with peers
• Goal setting

What is involved?

At your first appointment, our psychologist will meet with you to review your current difficulties including your diabetes care, mood, and behavior.

Please complete the Psychology Assessment Form and bring it with you to your appointment.

At the end of the first appointment, we will make recommendations about how to improve your behavior, mood, and coping skills. Follow-up sessions are often needed to make changes in treatment and monitor progress. Since taking care of diabetes impacts the entire family, it is often important to involve other important people in counseling sessions, such as parents, siblings, or significant others.

With your permission, the psychologist can communicate with your diabetes team, other medical professionals, and school personnel as needed.

Nutrition Education and Medical Nutrition Therapy

At the USF Diabetes and Endocrinology Center we encourage our patients to consume a healthy and nutritionally adequate diet.  A healthy eating pattern is not a strict nutrition prescription, it is a recommendation that is adaptable based on food preferences, culture, budget and health conditions. 

The USF Diabetes and Endocrinology Center has two Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who are also Certified Diabetes Educators as part of their multidisciplinary team. They offer medical nutrition therapy for all patients seen at the USF Diabetes and Endocrinology Center. These professionals are dedicated to improving the health of patients by helping them make sustainable lifestyle changes and enjoy healthy lives. Given their extensive education and credentialing requirements, Registered Dietitian Nutritionists are the most valuable and credible source of timely, scientifically-based food and nutrition information. They can provide nutrition education and counseling for multiple nutrition related medical conditions including but not limited to the following:

• Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus 
• Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus 
• Pre-Diabetes  
• Gestational Diabetes Mellitus 
• Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes 
• Endocrine Disorders with the following co-morbidities: Hyperlipidemia, Hypertension, Gastrointestinal related conditions such as IBD, IBS, Lactose Intolerance, GERD
• Overweight and Obesity

If you would like to meet them or speak to them simply ask your provider at your next clinic visit. If you prefer to make an appointment with one of our Registered Dietitians Nutritionists or for more information about diabetes self-management or an individualized medical nutrition therapy, please call 813-396-2580.  

Community Support and Resources

The USF Diabetes and Endocrinology Center partners with other organizations to support our patients and their families. Our collaborators include:

• The American Diabetes Association (ADA)
• American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE)
• Children with Diabetes
• Diabetes Advocacy Alliance
• Florida Camp for Children and Youth with Diabetes (FCCYD)
• Help a Diabetic Child Foundation
• Insulin for Life
• International Diabetes Federation
• International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD)
• JDRF
• Magic Foundation
• Pediatric Academic Societies
• Pediatric Endocrine Society

Please visit Patient Resources for Sam Fuld Diabetes Camp information and other community events news.