A holistic intervention programme for families with a child with a disability

The birth of a child with a disability may cause serious stress for the parents and affect each member of the family. Parents need support to deal with such a situation; however, health care professionals themselves are not always well equipped to help them and often adopt an attitude of withdrawal.

The aim of this paper is to describe a family intervention programme developed in collaboration with families who were adapting to the birth of a child with a disability.

The primary purpose of the programme is to help family members adapt to the situation in which they suddenly find themselves, primarily by reducing stress. The family's autonomy and competencies in providing care for the child are promoted and called into action. The programme encompasses different aspects of family relations: the individual, marital, parental, family, extended family and non-family sub-systems. Its theoretical foundations, clinical experience with families of a child with a health problem, and our previous research have enabled a remodelled vision of the way individuals and families adapt to such a situation.

The symbioses of the design of the programme, training in its application, and intervention itself have transformed families of a child with a disability as well as the nurses themselves. The key element of this transformation has been the mutual recognition of relevant skills and authority by families and health care professionals that has led to new competencies, self-determination and an individuality that may change their lives.