Justifying a dedicated role for family therapy in pediatric neurorehabilitation

ABSTRACT

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in pediatric populations affects the entire family yet neurorehabilitation is often centered on the individual needs of the child. This article provides an overview of select theory, models of family assessment and health care, and family interventions relevant to the family social worker in the field of pediatric rehabilitation. The intention of the author is to encourage family social workers to apply their expertise in a medical setting without limiting their role in attending to instrumental needs of the patient. The role of the Medical Family Therapist is presented as an emerging profession dedicated to applying family theory, models, and interventions by attending to the needs of the whole family affected by TBI, as well facilitating relationships between families and healthcare teams.

KEYWORDS:

• Traumatic brain injury
• medical family therapy
• children
• neurorehabilitation
• family-centered care

Disclosure statement

No conflicts of interest or other disclosures to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This article is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Darrell Johnson, who provided feedback on an earlier version of this paper, as well as inspiration and encouragement to the author as a psychotherapist. The author is grateful for the support of the Myer Katz fellowship at the McGill University School of Social Work.