Afraid of the Doctor: Every Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Managing Medical Trauma

In this book addressing an oft-ignored subgroup (parents of children who experience medical trauma), Marsac and Hogan write from both personal and professional experience. Hogan, a health care attorney and mother of a child with Hunter syndrome (a rare genetic condition), and Marsac, a pediatric psychologist, are uniquely qualified to write this manual. Forty percent of children in the United States struggle with a chronic health problem, and these children are also at increased risk for emotional and behavioral problems. Marsac and Hogan guide parents through researching their child’s condition; choosing what information to share with their child (and then helping them deal with the information); organizing and managing medical treatment; making medical decisions (often with too little or too much information); helping their child deal with medical procedures and new medications; and advocating for their child. Each chapter includes questions for reflection and practical actions to take.