How to Parent Your Sibling Support Group

According to Dr. Foster Cline and Lisa Greene, coauthors of the book Parenting Children with Health Issues, "Siblings of children with chronic health issues or disabilities are left out because the parent must spend an inordinate amount of time on healthcare issues for the child with the special needs." This is where foundations, such as the Sibling Support Project come in. The Sibling Support Project is "a national effort dedicated to the life-long concerns of brothers and sisters of people who have special health, developmental or mental health concerns." It can be difficult at times to parent a sibling support group.

Things You'll Need

• Literature
• A local social services group
• A trusted social worker or therapist

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Instructions

• 1

  Join an organization, such as the Sibling Support Project, to network with other overseers of support groups. There you can receive tips on everyday matters, as well as gain trusted friends that can help during special circumstances.

• 2

  Read as much as you can on the disability or disabilities affecting the siblings of the children in your group. You must have knowledge of what they are facing to help them get through it.

• 3

  Talk to the parents of the children in your sibling support group, without revealing anything that they said during the sessions. Keep an open line of communication to gain insight into the entire family's struggles, but do not break the children's trust or you may never get it back.

• 4

  Keep in contact with your local social services group because there are things, such as harm to oneself or others, which you must report to the authorities, regardless of the situation. Have a trusted professional on hand, such as a social worker or a therapist, whom you can call if situations come up that you're not sure about.

• 5

  Network with other support groups in your area for caregivers, parents and siblings, so you can refer family members to them when appropriate. Dr. Ira Rosofsky, a Connecticut psychologist, writes in his article "Caregiver Stress: Would You Like Some Angst With That Sandwich Generation?" that he "was on the board of an agency that cared for clients with extremely profound disabilities...a respite program whose purpose it was to allow the family caregivers to get away from their child or sibling---literally a holiday from caregiving where you could kick back, enjoy life and know that someone else, at least for a while, was sharing the load."

• 6

  Ask for professional help for yourself when the emotions and responsibilities of parenting your sibling support group become overwhelming. Everyone needs respite from caregiving at times, even the special and strong people who are offering that break for others.