Residents as Teachers: Session 2 - Parent at the Bedside: Understanding, Communicating, and Responding to Parents Under Stress

Residents as Teachers: Session 2 - Parent at the Bedside: Understanding, Communicating, and Responding to Parents Under Stress

This session will be open to those outside of the Residents as Teachers program.Join hereSpeaker:Sarah Carvajal, MSW, LSWDescription:Parents of hospitalized (or chronically hospital involved) children are very often living in extreme fear, chronic uncertainty, disrupted attachment, sleep deprivation and in varying stages of grief. These factors (along with previous traumas) can significantly influence how parents process information, communicate with healthcare teams, and respond during moments of crisis. This workshop integrates trauma informed care, neuroscience, attachment theory, and evidence-based communication strategies with practical, peaceful de-escalation techniques that preserve both compassionate care and healthy professional boundaries. Objectives:At the conclusion of this activity, learners should be better able to:Describe how acute stress, uncertainty, trauma, and attachment influence parental behavior during pediatric hospitalization.Recognize common trauma responses that contribute to conflict, impaired communication, and heightened emotional reactions.Apply trauma informed communication strategies that increase; trust, improve parent-provider relationships, and support collaborative care.Utilize practical de-escalation techniques rooted in peaceful facilitation principles to respond effectively when parents become verbally aggressive, emotionally dysregulated, or challenging.Differentiate between empathizing with parental distress and reinforcing unsafe or abusive behaviors, using language that protects both families and healthcare staff.

📍 Virtually via Zoom

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