When your child has a chronic illness, it doesn’t just impact their physical health—it can touch every corner of their life and yours. But the signs that something deeper is going on aren’t always as obvious as you'd think. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Kate Herts and I dive into the emotional, behavioral, and practical complexities of parenting a child with a chronic illness—from the confusing early symptoms to the long road toward diagnosis, and everything in between.

 

Together we explore:

 

- The surprising ways chronic illness can show up in children—sometimes with symptoms that seem completely unrelated.

 

- It is understandable for parents of chronically ill children to become overly protective. We'll offer you strategies you can use to challenge this fear-based response so your child doesn’t internalize messages that they can’t do things independently

 

- What to do when your child is the one limiting themselves—and how to know when to step in.

 

- Navigating sibling dynamics, school absences, financial challenges, and some of the most common challenges that families with children with chronic illness face.

 

- What most of us get wrong when we try to prepare for an uncertain future—and how to shift into the here and now.

 

- How to balance supporting your medical child’s needs with fostering independence, confidence, and resilience.

 

Drawing from both her professional expertise and her own experience growing up with a chronic illness, Dr. Herts offers compassionate, actionable guidance for parents navigating this journey.

 

 

 

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. KATE:

https://healthpsychny.com

 

 

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 260. Neurodiverse brains and sleep: How to modify traditional sleep strategies with Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown 

 

🎧 213. Q&A: What's the best way to talk about my child's diagnosis with her and her sibling?

 

🎧 43. School refusal and anxiety: What parents can do to support their children with Dr. Erica Miller

 

🎧 72. Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE): How a new treatment for childhood anxiety and OCD is revolutionizing care with Dr. Eli Lebowitz