The sibling group: beginning to meet the needs of child siblings of psychiatrically hospitalized children.

Abstract

Child siblings of children admitted to psychiatric hospitals often find themselves in a unique and potentially isolating situation. Because of the crisis affecting all family members and the focus of both parents' and professionals' energies on the identified patient, this sibling group is often overlooked. This paper describes an educational and supportive group designed by the authors to begin to address the needs of this population and offered as part of the family-services component of a child and adolescent psychiatric unit. The group serves multiple functions by diminishing the non-hospitalized children's sense of isolation, offering them education and support, and providing the treatment providers an opportunity to assess the needs of the inpatient's sibling. The authors describe a highly structured format that facilitated group members' participation.