Managing Pediatric Chronic Illness
and Complex Needs

The hummingbird is a symbol for accomplishing that which seems impossible. It will teach you how to find the miracle of joyful living from your own life circumstances.

Has there recently been a diagnosis of a pediatric chronic illness or a new complex need? Is your head spinning with all the medical and/or technical information you were provided about the care required to address the symptoms?

Are you finding it difficult to explain the medical condition or complex need to others?

Do you have trouble figuring out how to incorporate daily treatments into your day to day life?

Are you struggling with specific procedures, medications, hospitalizations and restrictions in physical activity, or absences from school or social activities required for appropriate care of the chronic illness or complex need?

Do you find it difficult to manage the different roles involved in caring for the medical condition or complex need?

Therapy can help…

provide a safe space to share all your concerns and make it easier to come to terms with the medical condition or complex need

Improve your ability to understand or feel comfortable asking questions about medical terms and outcomes related to the medical condition or complex need

Improve your ability to talk to your child or others in a way that identifies support needs or that creates feelings of safety and security

Develop coping strategies for dealing with the more challenging aspects and care demands of the medical illness or complex need

Encourage pride in your ability to meet care needs in the moment

Finding time for therapy can be hard when you have so many additional medical or therapy appointments to manage; however, individual therapy can help you more easily adjust to any changes communicated during medical or follow up appointments and ultimately improve their effects.

When you engage in therapy you will experience collaborative support, allowing you to identify your support needs and the goals for each session. Therapy will be focused on increasing your emotional well-being and your ability to cope with a medical illness’ or complex need’s mental and physical demands.

Therapy that focuses on evidence-based support strategies can help you improve your family’s engagement in healthy behaviors, medical coping, medication adherence, general self-confidence, and acceptance.