Lots of circumstances can keep us from going to counseling as disability parents—the continuous needs of our children, financial strain, limited time, lack of qualified caregivers, stigma, and a big one—guilt. Yet, counseling can help caregiving parents in numerous ways, even if to just prevent burnout or to process our chronic grief. And 1 out of every 3 of us could greatly benefit from treatment for our symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The benefits of going for counseling are countless for disability parents. These are just a few:
1. Talk with Someone Neutral and Supportive
Our lives as caregiving parents are hard. Sometimes it can be very healing to be able to spill our hearts about our painful experiences without fearing judgement or pat answers. A counselor can be a listening ear and provide empathy and unconditional support.
Sometimes fear can keep us from going to therapy, especially fear of what others might think about us. At some point, we just have to decide to go despite what others might think.
Going to counseling doesn’t mean that you’re weak or that there’s something wrong with you. Having the courage to seek help means you’re strong.
2. Prevent or Improve Mental Health Symptoms
As caregivers of children with chronic illnesses or disabilities, we have a 1 in 3 risk for developing clinical anxiety and depression. And for parents that have experienced a traumatic event with their child, a 20% risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder.
Going to counseling can help prevent depression, anxiety, and caregiver burnout and improve mental health symptoms.
Download our Free Workbook to help you decide if going to counseling is right for you.
3. Learn New Coping Skills
Parents of children with chronic illnesses or disabilities experience significantly higher rates of stress than parents of children without special needs. We have to use more coping skills and more often than other parents.
Learning some new stress management strategies can help improve your physical and mental health, as well as your parenting.
Download our Free Quick Coping Skills Guide
4. Process Grief and Hard Emotions
Disability parents experience not only acute grief at the time of their child’s diagnosis or onset of symptoms, but they also walk through chronic sorrow. New waves of grief can surface at any time any day. If we don’t allow ourselves to process our grief in healthy ways, mental health symptoms and relationship problems can develop.
A counselor can help you walk through your painful thoughts and emotions to find hope and healing.
5. Improve Your Relationships
If you’re healthier emotionally, your relationships with your spouse, children, family, and friends will grow healthier. Not only can you improve your mental health, but you can learn new ways to communicate and relate to those you love.
You can learn how to be kind to yourself, ask for what you need, and build healthy boundaries.
So, what ways could going to counseling benefit you? The sooner you seek treatment, the better your outcome will be, especially when trauma is involved.
Make sure to download our FREE Workbook to help you decide if counseling is right for you.
What obstacles keep you from going to counseling?
Make sure to share your thoughts in the comments below.
If you’re worried that you might be in a mental health crisis or you’re having thoughts about harming yourself or someone else, please call or text 988.
Blessings,
Kristin
LEARN MORE about the difference between typical caregiver stress and grief and more serious mental health symptoms.
*This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for seeking professional mental health advice or services. If you suspect you have a mental health problem, promptly contact a professional mental health care provider.
Kristin Faith Evans, MA, MS, LMSW
Kristin is an award-winning author, a speaker, a Licensed Master Social Worker, and a disability mom. Her greatest passion is walking with others on their journey to deeper faith and emotional healing. With her Masters degrees in Social Work and in Christian Education, she has served in youth, camping, and retreat ministries and is experienced in Christian counseling, couples and family therapy, substance abuse treatment, and crisis counseling. Kristin lives with her husband, Todd, and their two children in the Nashville, TN area. When she’s not enjoying life with her family, writing, or speaking, you can find Kristin training for triathlons, reading, or simply being out in nature.
References
Jamie C. Brehaut, Anne Guèvremont, Rubab G. Arim, Rochelle E. Garner, Anton R. Miller, Kimberlyn M. McGrail, Marni Brownell, Lucyna M. Lach, Peter L. Rosenbaum, and Dafna E. Kohen, “Using Canadian Administrative Health Data to Examine the Health of Caregivers of Children With and Without Health Problems: A Demonstration of Feasibility,” International Journal of Population Data Science 4, no. 1 (April 2019): 1-10, https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v4i1.584
Martina Corsi , Alessandro Orsini, Virginia Pedrinelli, Andrea Santangelo, Carlo Antonio Bertelloni, Niccolò Carli, Rodolfo Buselli, Diego Peroni, Pasquale Striano, Liliana Dell’Osso, and Claudia Carmassi, “PTSD in Parents of Children With Severe Diseases: A Systematic Review to Face Covid-19 Impact,” Italian Journal of Pediatrics 47, no. 1 (January 2021): 1-7, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-021-00957-1.
Angela Paster, David Brandwein, and Joanne Walsh, “A Comparison of Coping Strategies Used by Parents of Children With Disabilities and Parents of Children Without Disabilities,” Research in Developmental Disabilities 30, no. 6 (Nov-Dec 2009): 1337-42, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2009.05.010.
Martin Pinquart, “Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Disorders in Parents of Children and Adolescents With Chronic Physical Illnesses: A Meta-Analysis,” Journal of Traumatic Stress 32, no. 1 (February 2019): 88-96, https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22354.
Nathaniel Scherer, Ibone Verhey, and Hannah Kuper, “Depression and Anxiety in Parents of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” PLoS One 14, no. 7 (July 2019), doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219888
Amy M. Smith and Joseph G. Grzywacz, “Health and Well-Being in Midlife Parents of Children with Special Health Needs,” Family, Systems, & Health 32, no. 3 (September 2014); 303-12, https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000049
Disability Parenting
What a helpful blog post! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for reading and for your encouraging feedback!