BRAVE Clinic for Blood Test Anxiety & Needle Phobia (Trypanophobia)
Behavioural Response to Anxiety in Venepuncture and Examinations
- Referral-based service
- Led by Dr Louis Traynor
- Children & adults welcome
- Ultrasound-guided access available
- Medicare rebatable assessment
About the Clinic
For many families, a routine blood test is anything but routine. The BRAVE Clinic at Shire Family Medical is a referral-based service for patients who find blood tests particularly difficult — due to anxiety, needle phobia, trypanophobia, neurodivergence, intellectual disability, difficult veins, or a history of distressing collection experiences.
This is a referral-based service run by Dr Louis Traynor. Patients require a written referral from their GP or paediatrician before booking their first appointment. The first appointment is an in-person assessment which may be eligible for a Medicare rebate with a valid referral.
Our aim is to make the experience as calm, gentle, and supportive as possible — for patients and the family members or carers alongside them.
Referral required before booking. Please see your GP or paediatrician first. They will order the blood tests, provide a pathology request form, and write a referral to Dr Louis Traynor for BRAVE Clinic assessment.
Who This Clinic Helps
This clinic is especially suited to patients who have struggled with blood tests due to one or more of the following:
Children Who Struggle with Blood Tests
Children who are anxious, distressed, or have had a difficult experience with blood tests previously.
Neurodivergent Children and Adults
Patients with autism, ADHD, or sensory sensitivities that make standard blood collection challenging.
Needle Phobia (Trypanophobia)
Patients with severe needle phobia or trypanophobia — including blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia — who avoid or defer essential tests.
Patients with Difficult Venous Access
Patients with difficult venous access where standard collection has repeatedly failed or caused distress.
Patients with Intellectual Disability
Patients with intellectual disability who require additional planning, time, and a supportive clinical environment.
Previous Difficult or Traumatic Collections
Patients who have had a traumatic, failed, or distressing blood collection experience and are now avoiding tests.
How to Access the BRAVE Clinic
The BRAVE Clinic is a referral-based service. Please follow these steps before contacting Shire Family Medical to book.
See Your GP or Paediatrician
Before booking with the BRAVE Clinic, the patient needs to see their own GP or paediatrician. The referring doctor will need to order the required blood tests, provide a valid pathology request form, and write a referral to Dr Louis Traynor for BRAVE Clinic assessment.
Call Shire Family Medical to Book an Initial Assessment
Once you have a written referral, call Shire Family Medical on 02 9545 1777 to book an initial face-to-face assessment with Dr Louis Traynor. This appointment allows Dr Traynor to assess the patient's needs and determine whether the BRAVE Clinic is appropriate.
Assessment fee: This initial consultation may be Medicare-rebatable with a valid referral. An approximate $50 out-of-pocket fee is expected to apply.
Return for the BRAVE Clinic Procedure Appointment
If the BRAVE Clinic is suitable, the patient will be booked for a separate procedure appointment. This appointment is privately billed. The fee depends on the level of support required.
Procedure Appointment Fees
All procedure appointments are privately billed. The right appointment type is determined at your initial assessment with Dr Traynor.
Standard Appointment
$95 on Saturdays
- Mild anxiety
- First attempt / no major issues
- Calm, child-friendly environment
- Gentle, step-by-step explanation
- Simple distraction techniques (conversation, focus shifting)
- Supportive positioning with parent involvement
- Focus on reducing fear and building confidence
- Designed for first-time or mildly anxious children
- Other distraction techniques such as the VR headset are included (if needed)
Complex Behavioural
$115 on Saturdays
- Previous difficulty
- Significant anxiety / distress
- Needs active behavioural work
- Everything included in Standard BRAVE
- Extra preparation for children with significant anxiety
- More structured behavioural support
- Parent coaching before and during the procedure
- Sensory-aware approach for neurodivergent children
- Flexible pacing within the appointment
- Choice-based language to help the child feel more in control
- Designed for children with prior distress, avoidance, or difficult blood test experiences
Advanced Techniques
$140 on Saturdays
- Known difficult access
- Previous failed attempts
- Likely to need ultrasound
- Everything included in Standard BRAVE
- Ultrasound-guided vein identification (for difficult access)
- Higher-level distraction strategies (e.g. immersive techniques)
- Tailored approach for significant anxiety or prior trauma
- Experience managing neurodivergent children (ASD, sensory needs)
- Focused approach to improving the likelihood of a successful collection where previous attempts have not gone well
Home Visit Support
Additional travel fees may apply outside our standard service area.
- Severe anxiety or distress around blood tests
- Autism, sensory sensitivities, or behavioural challenges
- Previous failed or traumatic blood test experiences
- Unable to tolerate attending the clinic environment
- Blood collection performed in the familiarity of home
- Reduced sensory overload and environmental stress
- Tailored behavioural support approach
- Flexible pacing and preparation
- Parent/carer involvement and support
- Designed for patients requiring a highly individualised approach
- Focus on comfort, safety, and giving every patient the best possible chance of a successful collection
About the Clinician
- FACEM
- Specialist Emergency Doctor
- Paediatric Emergency Medicine
- Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Access
Dr Louis Traynor is a Specialist Emergency Doctor (FACEM) with dual training in adult and paediatric emergency medicine (PEM), recognised by the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP).
He has extensive experience across St George Hospital, Sutherland Hospital, Sydney Children’s Hospital, and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Dr Traynor has a strong interest in caring for young children and patients with neurodivergence, with a focus on minimising anxiety and distress during procedures. He is skilled in ultrasound-guided vascular access, helping improve the chance of successful blood collection, particularly for children and patients with difficult veins.
He understands that for many patients, it’s not the illness — it’s the blood test — that gets in the way. As a father of four and a Sutherland Shire local, Louis is passionate about making sure no patient misses essential care because of fear or a difficult previous experience.
The Clinic
The BRAVE Clinic uses a range of tools and approaches to help make blood collection as calm and comfortable as possible — including VR distraction headsets, child-friendly equipment, and ultrasound-guided techniques.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The BRAVE Clinic is designed for patients who may find blood tests especially difficult, including young children who are afraid of needles, patients with severe needle phobia or trypanophobia, neurodivergent patients, and adults with intellectual disability or a history of distressing blood collection.
The BRAVE clinic sees patients of all ages – from birth into late adulthood.
Yes. Patients need a written referral from their GP or paediatrician before booking an initial BRAVE Clinic assessment. A valid pathology request form is also required before blood can be collected.
No. BRAVE Clinic is a specialised blood collection service only and cannot issue blood test request forms. A valid pathology request form must be provided before your blood can be collected. BRAVE Clinic is not responsible for interpreting or managing test results. After your blood test, patients should follow up with the doctor who requested the test.
No. A referral allows you to book an initial face-to-face assessment with Dr Louis Traynor. After this assessment, Dr Traynor will determine whether the BRAVE Clinic is suitable and whether a separate procedure appointment can be arranged.
The clinic is mainly designed for children, but it may also be suitable for some adults with intellectual disability and/or severe needle phobia.
Please refer to the Procedure Appointment Fees section above.
Not always. We ask about previous EMLA use and any skin reactions as part of the screening process. If needed, we can discuss this with you before the appointment is confirmed.
EMLA can be purchased over the counter from most community pharmacies, however EMLA packs (which include instructions) can be purchased from Shire Family Medical for $8.50
No. BRAVE Clinic appointments are managed by Shire Family Medical reception. Please call 02 9545 1777 after obtaining a written referral from your GP or paediatrician.
No. The initial assessment is a separate appointment with Dr Louis Traynor. If the BRAVE Clinic is suitable, the blood collection or procedure appointment will be booked separately
Ready to Book the BRAVE Clinic?
Call our reception team to arrange your initial assessment with Dr Louis Traynor. A referral from your GP or paediatrician is required before booking.
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