CDT Family Systems & Caregiver Support in Disability Trauma

Question 1

How does a family systems perspective inform CDT work with individuals with disabilities?

Accepted Answer

It recognizes that trauma affects the entire family system and that individual healing occurs within relational contexts

Answer

It focuses exclusively on the identified client without considering family dynamics

Answer

It holds family members responsible for causing the client's trauma

Answer

It requires separate treatment for each family member simultaneously

Question 2

What is caregiver burden and why is it relevant in CDT practice?

Accepted Answer

The physical, emotional, and financial strain experienced by family caregivers of individuals with disabilities, which can affect the quality of care provided

Answer

The professional burnout experienced by paid disability support workers only

Answer

A legal term for negligent caregiving

Answer

The financial cost of providing disability equipment and accommodations

Question 3

How might a family member's unresolved grief about their relative's disability intersect with trauma in CDT practice?

Accepted Answer

Unresolved grief can manifest as overprotection, denial, or anger that perpetuates trauma dynamics for the individual with a disability

Answer

Family grief is always separate from client trauma and does not require attention

Answer

Grief about disability is resolved automatically after diagnosis

Answer

Family grief only affects parents, not spouses or siblings

Question 4

What is 'enmeshment' in family systems and how might it affect a family member with a disability?

Accepted Answer

Overly blurred boundaries where individual identity and autonomy are suppressed within the family unit

Answer

A healthy level of family closeness and mutual support

Answer

A legal term for joint guardianship arrangements

Answer

The process of integrating disability services into family routines

Question 5

Which family therapy concept is particularly useful in CDT work when exploring how disability has affected family roles and communication?

Accepted Answer

Structural family therapy, which examines hierarchy, subsystems, and boundaries within the family

Answer

Psychoanalytic individual therapy applied to all family members

Answer

Behavioral therapy focused only on the client's behavior

Answer

Solution-focused therapy without examining past patterns

Question 6

What is 'parentification' in a family context and how might it relate to disability trauma?

Accepted Answer

When a child assumes adult caregiving roles — such as caring for a parent or sibling with a disability — creating a childhood trauma burden

Answer

When parents take on therapeutic roles with disabled children

Answer

The process of legal guardianship for adults with disabilities

Answer

A developmental stage in which children learn caregiving skills