Families play an important role in children’s lives that naturally influences their behavior. Unfortunately, having a child in your family who experiences chronic pain or has a long-term health condition can put a strain on your relationships and lead to some serious challenges.
Seek Professional Support
Caring for an adolescent who has a chronic health issue along with behavioral challenges is often difficult, but you don’t have to do it alone. In fact, your family can benefit from the results of years of research that have led to professional services that make it easier to understand and improve your family dynamics to promote better well-being for everyone.
Understand How Chronic Pain Impacts Mental Health
If you’ve ever felt grumpy while you had a major headache, then you have some idea of how a child’s pain level could influence their mood. Adolescents who experience chronic pain may feel frustrated when they can’t find relief from their discomfort. They may also feel angry about their experiences in life as they watch their peers enjoy a more normal lifestyle. Adolescents with health conditions that limit their ability to stay focused on academics or play sports may channel their energy into negative behaviors. Although it might be challenging at times, try to view your child’s behavior as an outward expression of their inward pain.
Be Prepared for Common Challenging Behaviors
Children of all ages often express their unhappiness through their behavior. However, helping children to control their behavior gets harder as they get older. For instance, you might find that managing a toddler’s tantrum is mildly frustrating. Yet, you could fear for your health if a teenager decides to throw objects across a room. Aggression is a common challenge that families face. You might also notice that your teenager experiences problems at school such as skipping class or getting into fights.
Consider Intensive In-Home Therapy
Seeking professional therapy provides your family with a support network that benefits everyone. While individual counseling can help, you might want to consider in-home therapy which allows a therapist to see the true dynamics of your family in real-time situations. Systemic family therapy focuses on how each person’s role in the home contributes to the reactions and behaviors of the others. By allowing the therapist to view how your family interacts within the privacy of your home, you’ll receive more accurate recommendations for improving behaviors.
Explore Alternative Living Environments
In some cases, it might be necessary to seek out alternative living solutions. This is especially true when your teenager is exhibiting dangerous behaviors that put your safety at risk. You might also need to seek alternative living options to protect other children in your house or even your teenagers themselves. Residential living environments for adolescents who have challenging behaviors are equipped with staff who can respond to issues quickly and with professional techniques. Your teen might also benefit from receiving therapeutic services during the day along with the ability to learn within an alternative educational environment.
Know How to Receive Crisis Intervention
Families sometimes find themselves in a crisis situation when a young member’s behavior reaches a dangerous level. Identifying who to call during a crisis situation can give you 24-hour support that could potentially be lifesaving. If your child begins to make threats of self-harm or violence towards others, then you’ll need to call for crisis support right away. The same is also true if they begin to exhibit severely destructive behavior or signs of severe depression or delusions.
Provide Care for Everyone In Your Family
At its heart, family therapy is designed to help everyone learn how to interact in a home environment where one or more family members are struggling with mental or physical health challenges. While your initial focus might be on your adolescent who has a health diagnosis, you’ll also want to support your other children with professional therapy. Finally, remember that you can also benefit from professional services that not only help you to learn strategies to minimize strife in your household but also allow you to reduce your stress. Good mental health is important for everyone, including those who are the glue within their family unit.
In a perfect world, no child would ever feel pain or deal with a chronic health issue. But, the harsh reality is that many children experience less than ideal-health as they grow. Whether you are raising your biological child or fostering, knowing that support is available can help you build stronger family dynamics that give everyone the opportunity to bond and reach their full potential for happiness.
Author: Brittany Cotton
Published by: International Pain Foundation, iPain blog, Team iPain
