Many families have children that are diagnosed with different mental issues. As parents, we forget that we have the ability and strengths to help our children or see things differently. As a result, many parents lose sight of the strengths and powers they have. When there is emotional distress in the family, it becomes very easy to lose understanding and the ability to look at the strength and power we possess. For example- if a mother came to know that her son is diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, then it is not easy for her to accept this and react normally. Parents are usually consumed with feelings of guilt and respond sharply to any indication that they are the reason for their child’s condition.
Identifying one’s family stories creates meaning that goes behind the individual to give a sense of self, through experience, and concerning the family. This developed sense of self-referred to as our intergenerational self, which not only teaches an individual but also presents a broader context for understanding and dealing with life’s experience(s) and challenges. Family stories play an important role within the wraparound because it is a shared learning experience which helps a person to understand every perspective. It not only encourages family members to organize their experience, but it can further encourage them to think about their strengths and skills. Strengths are identified during the process by getting to know the family, their support and their community. Strengths of all members should be included by classifying what qualities, abilities and concerns, both personal and professional, can be brought to the team and applied to develop useful plans.
Wraparound is a way, through which professionals meet the families and children in emotional distress. They use listening and understanding abilities, which ensures excellent knowledge to share oneself and our version of the story. It provides healthy family relations and always keeps the family members healthy interactive beings. It is essential to have wraparound professionals as they do help a lot in dealing with loads of issues that comprise of emotional distress, misunderstandings, and many more which sometimes also destroys a child’s life regarding lowering their self-esteem, their belief in themselves and their large areas of abilities. So, in wraparound, the professional role in the family story is not only diagnosing and treating problems, but an associate who explores the strengths and abilities of the family within their story, and then encourages them to utilize these strengths and skills to develop the lives they desire for themselves.
In a nutshell, I would like to say that wraparound is a process of working with children with mental and behavioral illness and their families. It listens to the children and families and helps them to see things into a new perspective. It is a family-driven method that uses the strengths of a child and family as well as their support to build an individualized plan to meet the family’s needs and reach their wanted results.
References
Duclos, T. (2018). Building Family Support. Personal Collection of T. Duclos, Northern College, Ontario, Canada.
Dennis, K. W., ; Lourie, I. S. (2006). Everything is normal until proven otherwise: A book about wraparound services. Washington, DC: CWLA Press.
Meyers, M. (2010). Wraparound: A Manual of Effective Practice. Wraparound Milwaukee. Retrieved from http://www.wrapct.org/GlobalDocuments/wraparound_training_manual_mjm.pdf
