Therapeutic Interventions for Youth with Diabetes

Empowering children and adolescents to master the psychological and social complexities of life with T1D.

 

Social Resilience & Boundary Setting

• Navigating Social Dynamics: Developing assertive communication skills to manage interactions with peers and authority figures confidently.
• Peer Pressure Immunity: Building the emotional strength to resist social influence and maintain health protocols in social settings.
• Advocacy & Education: Helping the child find their voice in explaining their needs to coaches, teachers, and friends without feeling "different."

 

Internal Emotional Regulation

• Deconstructing Diabetes Distress: Processing the "invisible" emotional burden—neutralizing feelings of guilt, isolation, and the "why me?" narrative.
• Reframing Self-Defeating Thoughts: Replacing internal shame and low self-esteem with a resilient identity that isn't defined solely by a diagnosis.
• Anxiety & Fear Management: Strategies for managing the acute fear of needles, hypoglycemia, or long-term complications.

 

The "Childhood First" Framework

• The Balancing Act: Creating a therapeutic space to negotiate the tension between rigorous medical management and the essential need to "just be a kid."
• Autonomy vs. Support: Working with the child (and parents) to develop age-appropriate independence without the burnout of premature self-care.
• Clinical Competence & Body Awareness
• Intuitive Nutritional Literacy: Moving beyond restriction to help children recognize and manage appropriate food choices in real-world environments.
• The Insulin-Glucose Connection: Simplifying the science of how food and insulin interact to empower the child with a sense of mastery over their own biology.

 

Explore

• Somatic Awareness: Training the child to detect the subtle physical "cues" of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia and implement immediate, calm coping protocols.

 

Parenting Children with Diabetes (Hardcover & e-Book)

If you are the parent of a child living with diabetes, life can be problematic, to say the least. My new book was designed to help parents manage the trials and tribulations of raising a child with diabetes. http://bit.ly/Parenting_CWD

 

Parenting Children with Diabetes, published by Rowman & Littlefield, offers parents a 360-degree view of what is happening to their child living with diabetes, providing unique tools, insight, and education to help parents and their children navigate diabetes management, communicate clearly and effectively, and live safely and healthfully.