Wt. Walton, PARENTS OF DISABLED-CHILDREN BURN-OUT TOO - COUNSELING PARENTS OF DISABLED-CHILDREN ON STRESS MANAGEMENT, International journal for the advancement of counselling, 16(2), 1993, pp. 107-118
This paper explores the problems faced by parents of disabled children
with respect to stress-related factors. Parents of disabled children
experience tremendous stress in the responsibilities and problems that
they face. Counselors who become involved with parents of disabled ch
ildren need to be capable of assisting these parents in developing and
implementing stress management programs. The counselor needs to teach
the parents effective ways of reducing stress, in their everyday acti
vities centered around the disabled child. This paper will discuss som
e of the circumstances that cause stress and suggest procedures for tr
aining parents in becoming aware of the stressors and learning to mana
ge them. The paper will also discuss promoting self-awareness and deve
loping coping skills for parents of the disabled children. Counselors
are encouraged to use these and other stress management techniques in
helping parents become more effective in managing the stressors and de
veloping appropriate coping skills.