Attending to the balance of the whole family system is crucial. When considerable energy, resources, and time become focused on the child in distress, the needs of other family members are often overlooked.

Siblings can also be greatly affected when one child’s struggles absorb the family’s energy and focus. Siblings see the great care and time that is given to a struggling brother or sister and as a result drift into negative attention seeking behavior as a means to feel that same level of care, value, and connection to their parents.

In addition, parents give so much to the child in need that they often forget to nurture themselves and their partner. Change can become harder to achieve when parents’ strengths are drained away by negativity and conflict.

Parents learn to:

• Eliminate guilt, hopelessness, and other self-defeating thoughts that contribute to stress, fatigue, and detachment
• Stop counterproductive relational and child-rearing patterns and learn new, effective skills that promote attachment, confidence, and positive self-esteem
• Learn to identify and acknowledge “small wins” that can positively alter the family’s course and become the building blocks for more profound, sustained change