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Don’t Blame It On the Parents - Make Them Your Allies: A Family/Systems Approach to Paediatric Illness

University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden, Per.Gustafsson{at}imk.liu.se

A family/systems approach allows us to see the individual in context. The family and the informal social network constitute the most important environment for a child. A basic assumption is that changes in family interaction patterns will have an impact on somatic as well as psychiatric symptoms in the child. In modern paediatric practice parents are routinely instructed to give their sick child the prescribed treatment and to implement preventive measures; they are recruited as part of the medical team. A family/systems approach helps families to identify their strengths and needs. The approach described here with a session transcript illustrates how understanding the ways in which family relationships interact with the course of illness and treatment can influence quality of life.

Key Words: family interaction patterns • family therapy • psychosomatic illness • social network

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