Empowering Families: Our Multidisciplinary Approach to Supporting Children and Their Families As They Navigate Their Medical Care
When your child needs medical care, it can feel overwhelming. Especially, when you’re faced with new or complicated concepts, unfamiliar interventions, and a lot of information all at once. We believe that understanding your child’s health shouldn’t be a barrier to getting the best care possible. That’s why we partner with families on the journey of health care, so families feel included and have a voice in every step of the care process.
October was Health Literacy month. Health literacy means being able to find, understand, and use information to make informed decisions about your health or the health of those under your care. For caregivers, this might mean understanding a diagnosis, knowing what supports your child may need, or feeling confident in communicating with your child’s care team. When families have strong health literacy, they’re more empowered to take an active role in their child’s care. However, commonly in health care, complicated paths can get in the way, it can lead to confusion, stress, and even avoidable complications.
Our family focused and multidisciplinary approach to care brings together professionals from multiple specialties to meet your family where you are and support your child’s needs. Each member brings a unique perspective, but we all share the same goal: to provide holistic diagnostic and therapeutic services and family-centered care. And just as importantly, we work together to ensure that you, the caregiver, are informed, involved, and supported every step of the way.
How Child & Family Development Supports Health Literacy for Families
Here are some of the ways our team is working to make healthcare easier to understand and navigate:
Approachable Communication: We avoid medical jargon whenever possible and explain things in everyday language. If something doesn’t make sense, we encourage you to ask. There’s no such thing as a silly question.
Function Focused: Goals and interventions are planned in collaboration with both you and you’re child. These supports are tailored to involve individualized needs, skills, and motivations. The aim of services is to ensure the focus is on functional skill building and your family’s needs and wants are prioritized throughout.
Personalized Education: We provide handouts, visuals, and even personalized videos tailored to your child, their age, and goals. We offer conferences to spend time between caregiver and therapist to focus on education and carryover.
Team-Based Support: A therapist from each discipline involved, will help you understand their component of the team approach. That way, you get a full picture of your child’s care plan without having to put it all together on your own. Treating clinicians review other medical records and coordinate with other professionals (medical or academic) involved in your child’s care.
Care Navigation
We help families schedule sessions, understand referrals, and connect with resources in the community. We believe that understanding healthcare doesn’t end at our clinic doors.
Ease of Scheduling a Consult
Not sure what you may or may not need? We offer the opportunity to self-schedule a free consultation with one of our clinicians. These consultations provide time to talk through your potential needs and discuss next steps.
Why It Matters
When families understand the “why” behind a diagnosis or treatment, they’re more likely to collaborate with goal planning, follow through with care plans outside of the clinic, notice changes early, and feel confident in making decisions.
Better health literacy leads to:
- Fewer medical complications
- Better care management
- Improved outcomes for children
- Less stress for caregivers
We’re In This Together
Whether your child has a chronic condition, developmental delays, or just need some extra support, our multidisciplinary pediatric team is here for you and your family. We believe in partnership and coordinated care. Your voice matters and is key to your child’s health.
Every family deserves to understand and feel confident in the care their child receives. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, confused, or simply need more support, we’ll listen. We’ll explain. We’ll recommend. At C&FD, we’ll venture on your healthcare journey beside you. If you’re interested in learning more about our clinic or services, ask your provider for a referral or schedule a consult to speak to a clinician. We’re here to support your family’s journey, every step of the way.
