How CFWA’s Psychosocial Support Helped My Child
A sibling of a child with CF, aged 9, recently benefited from CFWA’s psychosocial support services.
Like many siblings of children living with a chronic illness, she was carrying a lot quietly. When her brother needed hospital admissions, she experienced separation anxiety and worry about his health and wellbeing. She also found it difficult at times watching the extra attention he understandably received from family members and hospital staff. This sometimes left her feeling overlooked and unsure of where she fit.
CFWA’s Psychosocial Support Coordinator, met with her online for several one-on-one sessions. These sessions were intentionally just for her with her own space, her own time. A place where she could talk about her worries, her feelings, or simply about herself. It was important that this was something separate from her sibling’s care, reinforcing that her needs mattered too.
Our team also worked collaboratively with mum to explore ways to create intentional one-on-one “mum and daughter” time, ensuring her emotional needs were being seen and supported at home.
Later in the year, she attended CFWA’s Sibs & Kids’ Camp. Because she had already built a relationship with the team, she felt safe and comfortable attending. Camp became another space that was just for her, a chance to connect with other siblings, have fun, and feel understood. She embraced the experience and enjoyed her time making connections with other siblings.
Her mum shared:
“We are deeply thankful for the care and support CFWA offers our family. While our son lives with cystic fibrosis, the impact reaches all of us. Siblings can so easily fade into the background, but through our daughter’s sessions with the team and her time at Sibs’ Camp, she felt acknowledged, supported, and celebrated in her own right. Seeing her feel valued has been incredibly meaningful for our family.”
CF affects the whole family. Supporting siblings is just as important as supporting the child with CF, because every child in the family deserves to feel seen, heard and valued.
If your child could benefit from sibling support, please reach out to our team on services@cfwa.org.au or 08 6224 4100.