The parents and caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities frequently experience a sense of loss and grief, which periodically resurfaces with intensity throughout the child’s lifetime. Known as recurrent grief, this normal grief response is often unrecognized by helping professionals, resulting in diminished support for parents and caregivers. This capstone uses evidence-based literature to explore the nature and path of this grief experience, identify the mental and physical health risks facing parents of children with disabilities, and suggest strategies for empowering parents to cope with the stressors of parenting amidst these recurring episodes of grief. The capstone addresses the emotional cost of caregiving among professional service providers and proposes strategies for avoiding compassion fatigue while encouraging obtainment of the compassion satisfaction characteristic of productive careers.
