Counseling for Diabetes

Individuals who have been diagnosed with either Type I or Type II diabetes face a number of emotional challenge. Children and adolescents are faced with self-monitoring and trips to the local physician and adults are faced with dietary and self-medication challenges. This paper explores some of the issues faced by counselors who work with children/adolescents and adults with diabetes. Diabetes is an ever increasing health challenge for many reasons. Many individuals are undiagnosed, some do not adhere to treatment regimens and diet and exercise and smoking cessation and others refuse to comply with the directions of the physician or diabetes educator. Some individuals require more extensive monitoring than others and some function quite autonomously and independently. Some individuals experience a wide range of emotions relative to their coping with diabetes and others have minimal coping skills. Some fatigue under the stress and strain of insulin and medication and others abhor the dietary regimens. This paper will attempt to address the needed counseling issues and realms that need to be explored by health care professionals as well as therapists and counselor.