01/24/2025
Including your child in the medical experience has multiple positive benefits, including a child’s ability to utilize coping tools and feel a sense of mastery over the experience.
One way to begin this process of inclusion is by sitting down together and creating a coping plan.
This opportunity for open, honest discussion supports in trust building and increases the chances for a positive experience with the medical environment.
But where to begin?
Start by explain the simple steps for what is going to happen during this appointment/treatment/procedure. It can be very general, describing where you are going, and the simple steps of what will be happening.
Next, prompt exploration of what has helped them in the past, either in a similar medical scenario, or in any other situation they perceived as “hard” - such as falling and scraping their knee, etc. Help them draw on what coping tools they already gravitated towards and found helpful.
Next, create a concrete plan for what supports they would prefer, such as proximity to you (the parent/caregiver), what they would like to use for distraction, how they want to be reminded to use deep breaths, and what information they would like before and during (such as signal for beginning, and cues during treatment/procedure).
Creating a plan for what is to follow the appointment is helpful to emphasize there will be an ‘end’, and gives them something to focus on which might feel more exciting or normalizing.
Click the LINK in our bio to get access to some printable coping plan templates you could use to help prompt this discussion, and never hesitate to reach out for 1-to-1 guidance on how else to support your child through this process!
