For parents with a child on the autism spectrum, it is often valuable to seek out and prioritize services such as ABA, OT, and Speech Therapy for their child. In my experience working with families, supports like these are essential for children on the spectrum.
These services come at a great financial cost, as well as time commitment. This often leaves self-care for parents and caregivers on the back burner. Many parents with children with special needs struggle with feelings of grief, failure, and loss of choice. You may relate to the story of Kate & Jamie Swenson and their son with autism.
In my experience, parent involvement is essential for change in children’s behavior. Services like ABA rely on consistency for successful behavior plan implementation.
If parents are pouring from an empty cup, often times behavioral change is less effective. You may have heard the term resilience before. There are studies that show resilience in parents helps them to raise more resilient kids. These same principles can be applied to parents with a child on the spectrum. Self-care is NOT selfish.
If you are on the fence about whether counseling is right for you, then let me ask you a few questions. I encourage you to spend a few minutes to think:
- What if counseling could help you better support your child’s ongoing therapy services?
- What would it look like to find ways to better cope with stress, and healing your grief?
- What would it be like for you to talk with someone who understands your challenges or help you find services in your area?
- How could counseling improve the quality of your marriage, or family life?
Counseling is not unending. Many therapists, like myself, are working to empower clients to soar on their own. Parents like Kate and Jamie are the reason I became a therapist, and I’d like to help your family grow.
Dustin Ellis, CIT
dellis@growcounseling.com
