Theme: Receiving the Diagnosis

In this clip from Courageous Parents Network’s interview with pediatric psychologist Dr. Joanna Breyer, author of “When Your Child is Sick,” Dr. Breyer explores the dynamic between parents and providers around discussing the prognosis. Sometimes the parent does want to hear and needs permission to discuss it. Sometimes the parents do not and that can be a challenge for the providers. And sometimes it’s both. The prognosis-understanding pendulum is not the same as denial. For the parent who doesn’t believe their child is going to die, who has put up a barricade, they are going to have a very hard time if the child does. this can be worrisome. The surface reaction isn’t always what’s going on. Many variations. You don’t know in advance what reaction the parents are going to have.