Volume_5_Issue_2_Digest

15 TPC Digest The author is a licensed professional counselor and marriage and family therapist, a board-certified coach, and a parent of an adult with spina bifida. This article offers a glimpse into the daily lives and activities of children with disabilities and their family life cycle, along with practical suggestions for both parents of children with disabilities and counselors working with these children. One goal of the article is to show that ableism , or prejudice against people with disabilities, brings deep emotional pain to children with disabilities and their families. Counselors should acknowledge the personhood of individuals with disabilities and help them grow and develop to their full potential. Counselors are encouraged to evaluate their own attitudes and assumptions about people with disabilities, and then work in session as well as in society to advocate against the limitations imposed by unchallenged ableism. Helping professionals should strive to overcome stereotypes and develop disability awareness prior to entering the counseling room with clients who have disabilities and their family members. Another important task for counselors is to discover the varying disability identities and orientations that have evolved within the disability culture and society in order to better understand how individuals conceptualize disabilities and their identity as people with disabilities. Finally, counselors can avoid accidental insults by following the recommendations in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) for researching, counseling and writing about people with disabilities. The article also discusses other areas in which counselors may be useful to children with disabilities and their families. These concepts, practical methods and interventions are intended to assist counselors and children with disabilities in their journey from birth to independent adulthood. The author invites counselors to apply their skills and knowledge to help children with disabilities and their families grow, develop, celebrate life and cope with a variety of challenges. Sherry Richmond-Frank, NCC, is the President of Creative Growth Counseling & Coaching, Inc. in Destrehan, LA. Correspondence may be addressed to: Sherry Richmond- Frank, PO Box 1033, Destrehan, LA 70047, sherry@creative-growth.com . Read full article and references: Richmond-Frank, S. (2015). Because “mama” said so: A counselor–parent commentary on counseling children with disabilities. The Professional Counselor , 5 , 304– 317. doi: 10.15241/srf.5.2.304 Sherry Richmond-Frank A Counselor–Parent Commentary on Counseling Children With Disabilities Because “Mama” Said So