Assisting Families Through Life Changes | Counselling Techniques
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Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes presents a series of discussions on the 'Flower Empower Model', a family-centric approach to assisting families through life transitions. She emphasizes the importance of considering the family as a whole, referencing Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological model, and highlights the impact of transitions such as 'adulting', marriage, parenthood, divorce, moving, and illness on both individuals and the family system. Dr. Snipes discusses the challenges of relocation, the loss of support systems, and the unique stresses faced by military families. She introduces the 'Flower Empower Model' where the STEM represents advocacy, the leaves symbolize vision, values, and principles, and the roots depict the clinician-family-community partnership. This partnership is built on responsibility, accountability, and recognition of each party's value and uniqueness, with a focus on tailored education and resource linkage. Dr. Snipes also addresses the limitations of UNITED WAY information and referral services, advocating for the use of GOOGLE and localized databases for comprehensive resource searches. She stresses the importance of understanding individual definitions of family, the role of family in supporting transitions, and the desired degree of family involvement. The discussions cover the roles and responsibilities within the clinician-family partnership, the importance of empowering families without creating dependency, and the necessity of participatory dialogue and listening to families. Dr. Snipes encourages leveraging past strengths and successes, understanding the greatest challenges families face, and preparing them with resources, skills, and tools for transitions. She explores strategies for intrafamilial and extrafamilial support, including community services and training programs. The concept of inter-familial support is elaborated, with examples such as military families and new mom support groups, and the importance of sustaining a caring environment through consistent, attentive, and responsive services. Dr. Snipes discusses the importance of recognizing behaviors as indicators of feelings, the impacts of life transitions on cognitive functions, and the need for education about resources, insurance benefits, patient assistance programs, and public services. She addresses the complexities of navigating insurance and patient assistance programs, the challenges faced by individuals with moderate incomes, and the importance of tailored education on conditions and the dying process. Dr. Snipes also discusses the complex emotional reactions to traumatic events based on past experiences, the importance of self-care for caregivers, and the need to distinguish between current events and past traumas. She emphasizes the importance of a family-centric approach to healthcare, the value of partnerships built on mutual trust, honesty, and collaboration, and the clinician's role in advocating for the family. Dr. Snipes calls for widespread dissemination of the family-centric healthcare approach, organizational readiness, and the commitment to collaboration and personal counseling for staff affected by life transitions.
Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes presents a series of discussions on the 'Flower Empower Model', a family-centr