Intervention of Hope: Sustaining Caregivers of Children with FASD through Therapeutic Psychoeducational Camps

Abstract

Parents, whether adoptive, foster or biological, raising alcohol-affected children contend with the exhaustion of the care taking role. This article is a summary of the qualitative phase of a mixed-method study investigated the effect that attendance at a therapeutic caregiver-involved camp, Whitecrow Village Camp, had on caregivers of children with FASD.  In the qualitative phase, eighteen caregivers completed semi-structured interviews. Eight major content categories were identified in the data and five metathemes emerged under the overarching metatheme of a Life-Changing Experience: Providing Hope.  Analysis of the data suggests that attendance at Whitecrow Village Camp had a positive influence on the coping behaviour of caregivers of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).