Family Members as collaborative partners on an interdisciplinary team
1. Alleviates one-way communication from the professionals to the family
2. Establishes appropriate assessment and intervention plans to fit the needs of the patient and family
3. Increases the likelihood of generalized therapeutic rehabilitation and reintegration
4. Shrinking health care budgets and the growing commitment to managed
care necessitates the empowerment of family members
Roles Family Members Can Play
1. Information Providers
2. Active Participants
3. Advocates: use of agencies and community resources
4. Expert Communication Partners: transferring therapy goals to the natural environment
5. Vision Developers: hopes, fears, desires and needs of the families
together with the reality of the situation should direct the development
of the goals.
General Guidelines for the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) in Family Centered Counseling.
(These guidelines can be adapted to other disorders and be used as training guidelines to teach families to become collaborative partners)
A. SLPs should first recognize their personal biases that could affect interaction with families
B. SLPs have a specific role in educating families about cognitive-communication impairments after TBI and their impact on daily communication in all environments.
C. SLPs can provide support to families during difficult times
D. While SLPs need not always refer families to appropriately trained counselors, they should do so when families share serious concerns outside the SLP's scope of professional competence
E. SLPs should not assume that there is a causal relationship between TBI and other family problems.
F. Families may not feel they need counseling simply because professionals say they do
G. If family problems interfere with therapy for the individual with TBI, families should be approached carefully
H. Families are not inclined to engage in counseling when clear outcomes are presented (e.g., jobs, financial assistance)
I. Families who have demonstrated an inability to cope or participate due to previous family system dysfunction need several offers of assistance during rehabilitation and reintegration
J. After these opportunities are offered, the SLP need not feel further responsibility to the family