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ABSTRACT
Learning about a child’s condition and raising a child with a developmental disability can be challenging and emotionally overwhelming, but systematic support programs for parents are practically nonexistent. We find that providing support for parents should be an important public health priority which should be made available through educational, social and healthcare systems. This paper describes a six-week support program for parents of children with developmental disabilities. The program is based on the importance of resolution for providing quality care for the child and for achieving a state of wellbeing for the entire family. Resolution is defined as a process of acceptance and coming to terms with the child’s health condition. It refers to the integration of parents’ emotions and information regarding their child’s disability within the parents’ representational system of themselves, their child and their relationship with their child. The main characteristics and goals of this psychoeducational program are highlighted, along with the specific goals for each session. A group setting is applied with the idea that parents will benefit from hearing from people with similar experiences. The structure of all sessions is given in detail and all their components are explained: the introductory section, educational section, counseling section and the final section during which parents are given a handout in which the key content of a particular session is restated. Measures of subjective change and satisfaction with the program are promising, but we intend to further evaluate them in subsequent studies.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Tatjana Krstić
Tatjana Krstić, Ph.D., is assistant professor at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychology. Over the years she has been working as a clinical psychologist with children and youth. She authored and co-authored support programs for parents of children with disabilities. Her main research areas include resolution of diagnosis and coping with stress in the context of chronic illness and developmental disability.
Ivana Mihić
Ivana Mihić, Ph.D., is associate professor at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology and systemic family therapist. Her main research areas include family relations and quality of childcare. She is one of the authors of the support program for parents of children with developmental disability.
Jelena Branković
Jelena Branković, is systemic family therapist and coordinator of the Center for support of early development and family relationships “Harmony”. She offers support to families facing developmental and non-developmental crises. She is one of the authors of the support program for parents of children with developmental disability.