Individual and Family Psychotherapy

Support for Special Needs Siblings and Families

In every family, each person has feelings and behaves in ways that affect everyone else. For parents who find love and joy in all of their children, it can be tough to meet everyone's specific needs. It can happen that the child with a disability has the appropriate support and resources in place. Sometimes, the siblings of children with special needs, can need support too. They may feel like they it would be helpful to express their own feelings about what it is like to be the "normal" one. They may have questions about what their responsibilities will be as their sibling grows into adulthood. These questions and concerns can be addressed in individual, family, or group sessions.

Below are some books that may be useful:

• Being the Other One: Growing Up with a Brother or Sister Who has
  Special Needs
  By Kate Strohm
• A Difference in the Family: Living with a Disabled Child
  By Helen Featherstone
• Everybody is Different
  A book for young people who have brothers or sisters with autism
  By Fiona Bleach