The Caregiver Wellbeing SIG is a Special Interest Group of the Society of Pediatric Psychology focused on promoting wellbeing among caregivers in pediatric settings.
We approach our work recognizing the critical importance of addressing the systems-related needs of pediatric patients, including caregiver wellbeing. Research in multiple pediatric populations has shown that wellbeing, including mental and physical health, can be diminished for a subset of parents. Not only does this affect the parent but it can also lead to less than optimal outcomes for pediatric patients. Clinical best practices have highlighted the importance of addressing caregiver wellbeing and the mission of the Caregiver Wellbeing SIG is to provide a forum for members of SPP to share and learn about working with caregivers in pediatric settings.
The overall goals of the Caregiver Wellbeing SIG are:
Provide a forum to share advances, best practices, and challenges in working with adult caregivers in pediatric populations.
Create and foster meaningful partnerships with caregiver stakeholders.
Develop and disseminate resources for both clinicians and families, including best practice guidelines for addressing caregiver mental health.
Facilitate research and clinical collaborations across institutions in order to advance practices with caregivers and promote caregiver wellbeing.
Provision of training for the broad membership of SPP focused on addressing caregiver wellbeing in pediatric settings, including training focused on ethical considerations.
Foster mentorship opportunities and provide education/training to pediatric psychology trainees regarding working with caregivers.