How to Overcome Emotional Stress Parent Support Program

Up to 150 million children are estimated to suffer from various forms of disabilities among them being cerebral palsy, down syndrome, spina bifida, epilepsy etc. The conditions make it hard for the children to fully experience the joys of childhood and in some cases it’s a great cause of suffering due to abuse and neglect.

To make matters worse, in some cultures it is believed to be a curse and the blame is placed on the mothers. The responsibility of raising these children is often left to the mother who in most cases are unemployed and uneducated. Most of these negative attitudes are mere misconceptions that stem from a lack of proper understanding of disabilities and how they affect functioning.

Well, let’s get rid of this misconception! Disability is not a curse neither is it an inability. With proper health care and physiotherapy sessions, the condition can be managed. As earlier mentioned, mothers are left with the burden of looking after their disabled children.

After having a joint therapy session for the children, Daraja noted that the parents were going through psychological challenges and we thought it wise to start a support group for them.

The aims of the parent support group were: to provide psychosocial support, create awareness on matters of disability to the parents and guardians, and training the parents on managing their children’s conditions now that they are going through and possible intervention. Daraja was able to arrange for three sessions for the parent support group.

The parents freely shared their predicaments as follows: Most of them were divorced by their husbands after giving birth to a child with disabilities. Most of them are jobless thus making it difficult to provide for the family. The parents have financial constraints to support the child medically.

After having a joint therapy session for the children, Daraja noted that the parents were going through psychological challenges and we thought it wise to start a support group for them.

Daraja was able to arrange for three sessions for the parent support group. The parents freely shared their predicaments as follows: Most of them were divorced by their husbands after giving birth to a child with disabilities. Most of them are jobless thus making it difficult to provide for the family. The parents have financial constraints to support the child medically

The aims of the parent support group were: 

1. To provide psycho-social support
2. Create awareness on matters of disability to the parents and guardians
3. Training the parents on managing their children's conditions now that they are going through and possible intervention.