Supportive therapy groups for teenagers with diabetes

For over 20 years, I have been leading various groups: groups for kids whose parents have divorced, social support groups for kids with Aspergers Disorder, groups for kids who have lost a parent, groups for kids with ADHD and conduct disorders. One of the few things I have been doing even longer than leading groups is managing my blood glucose levels. I was diagnosed at age 22, with Type 1 Diabetes. Since that time, I have tested my blood sugar levels many times each day and given myself insulin shots or, more recently, used an insulin pump. Now, I have decided to put together these two parts of my life — group leader and diabetic – and start a therapeutic support group for teenagers with diabetes.
The feedback I have received from my diabetic clients, and from their parents, is that the fact that I have diabetes gives me an insight into their struggles that I would not and could not otherwise have. These children and teenagers often feel that I can understand what they are going through in a way that a non-diabetic simply cannot. I know firsthand the exhaustion and misery that come from high blood sugars, the confusion and inability to express a simple thought that come from extreme low blood sugars. I know all too well how desperately we diabetics wish we could – just for a day, just for a few hours! – stop being diabetic; how wonderful it would feel to be able to take a break from being aware of every bite we eat and its impact on us. At the same time, I know that many diabetics, particularly teenagers, are often all too adept at “pretending” they’re not diabetic. With an adolescent’s belief in his own invulnerability, a teenage diabetic may ignore the warnings he gets from his parents, his doctors and educators, and from his own body, and fail to manage his blood sugar levels adequately. And I know how painful, terrifying, and infuriating that can be for his parents.
For the past few years, I have been helping young diabetics learn to manage this disease and to cope with its psychological impact as well as assisting their families in dealing with this new reality in their lives. But I have been doing so one client at a time. I am so excited to announce that early in 2010, I will be initiating a weekly group for teenage diabetics. The group will be open-ended and non-time limited; that is, clients may join at any point and remain in the group as long as they benefit from it. The start date, day of the week, and time of day will be announced in the near future. I look forward to hearing from anyone interested in this group.