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ACT: Taking Hurt to Hope – Struggling with kids who hurt
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Welcome to ACT taking hurt to hope.
One thing we all share as parents is the emotional pain of watching your child in pain. Something happens inside us as parents when we see our children suffer that is excruciating and despite the fact the we know better we likely get overwhelmed and do anything to stop the child’s suffering. If we could choose we as parents would probably like to carry all our children’s pain throughout life so that they never needed to suffer. At the same time we know that it is thru these processes of suffering, pain of life that we grow as individuals. How would a person turn out who has never suffered, who has just had an easy time throughout life?
Children with chronic pain is common. 20-35% of children and adolecsénts around the world suffer from chronic pain. The most common pain conditions are musculosketal pain, headaches and stomach pain. It is a great cost emotionally and socially as the result of associated disability as well as economically for the parents with direct and indirects costs from healthcare utilization, lost of wages due to time off work to care for the child.
A child’s chronic pain undermines school performance and social and emotional health, erodes finances, and devastates the family.
Today you are going to get a chance to talk to an expert on this subject Dr Kevin Vowles. Kevin is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the rehabilitation of adults, young adults, and teenagers with chronic health conditions. He is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology University of New Mexico.
His work with young people has often highlighted that parents are often also suffering significantly.