A Full-Circle Moment for Catherine Tallant, Psy.D.

Catherine Tallant, Psy.D., vividly remembers her time as a patient at Shriners Children’s in Florida during her childhood.

From casting to therapy, she can recall a portion of each stop on her health journey.

However, there is one moment that she still laughs about today: a fellow patient repeatedly belting out the song Who Let the Dogs Out while it played on a jukebox in the hospital’s cafeteria.

“It’s little things like that, that make the experience more enjoyable for children,” Tallant said.

As a child, Dr. Tallant was diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes, a condition that occurs when blood supply to the ball part of the hip joint is temporarily interrupted and the bone begins to die, break apart and lose its round shape. The body eventually restores blood supply to the ball, and the ball heals. However, if the ball is no longer round after healing, it can cause pain and stiffness in the joint and require treatment.

Once referred to the Florida hospital for treatment, Dr. Tallant was placed in traction with her leg elevated for nearly a year to give the bone the opportunity to heal and increase blood flow to the joint. After pursuing other treatment options, including using crutches, she had surgery when she was 10.

“It was not fun as a kid,” she recalled.

During her surgery, a metal plate and screws were placed inside her leg to help with growth and allow the ball part of her hip joint to not grind into the socket.

Following the surgery, Dr. Tallant had physical therapy throughout the next five years. However, when she started to experience pain during her senior year of high school, she had to return to the hospital. She learned that she had outgrown the plate and screws from her previous surgery and would need them replaced. So, she underwent another surgery and returned to school.

Dr. Tallant said she has had no major pain in her hip joint since then, and credits the care she received while a patient. “Shriners did a fantastic job working with me,” she said. “It’s been an incredible journey for me.”

Today, Dr. Tallant holds multiple degrees, including a bachelor’s in psychology, both a master's and doctorate in clinical psychology, and a graduate certificate in diversity and inclusion.

Although she initially had other career goals, Dr. Tallant said she has always loved children and knew she wanted a career in helping others, especially after being treated at Shriners Children's in Florida. Her career has solely included teaching and interacting with children of all ages in the classroom or therapy settings. And, after moving to Texas and recently becoming the newest behavioral psychologist at Shriners Children’s Texas, Dr. Tallant calls this a “full-circle moment.”

“I am excited for the opportunity to be a part of everything that Shriners offers to children,” said Tallant. “Being able to see the pain and anxiety melt away in kids as they begin to engage in normal childhood behavior is so rewarding. It makes me feel good at the end of each day.”