Families as Mentors

Contact: Susan Adelman (adelms@uw.edu), Megan Goldenshteyn (megolden@uw.edu)
Core Function: Professional Training
Program: Clinical Training Unit (CTU)

The Families as Mentors (FAM) Program enhances the trainee’s understanding of the family experience of raising a child with a neurodevelopmental disability. Typically trainees learn directly from families through extended interactions and experiences that take place in the family’s home and community.

Trainee learning objectives include:

1. To view families as teachers
2. To appreciate the realities of raising a child with a disability;
3. To develop leadership skills in promoting systems change among professional peers regarding family-centered care
4. To recognize that services or recommendations that may appear to be critically important from a professional perspective may decrease in importance when viewed within the context of the family’s daily routines
5. To recognize and acknowledge biases, beliefs, and attitudes and how these may affect the client/family-clinician relationship. Discussion sessions are also held with fellows and faculty mentors to share and reflect on the FAM Program experiences and discuss readings.