Counselling Intervention and Support Programmes for Families of Children with Special Educational Needs

Abstract

All couples look forward to having normal healthy babies. The issues of disabilities in their children shake the families and serve as sources of severe psychological disruption to family adjustment. The parents of such children live with many difficult issues and frequently experience trauma, grief and stress. Intervention programmes are necessary part of the process involved in supporting families with children with special educational needs. Such intervention requires active involvement of a wide range of professionals such as social workers, teachers, psychologists, therapists, medical officers and many others. Skill training, parent education, advocacy roles on part of parents and professionals alike are required. Counsellors should also be aware of the wider inadequate systematic supports for parents and to advocate for more generous social and financial resources for these parents.

Keywords: parents of children with special educational needs; trauma; counselling intervention; family security;  family support models.