Hi Reader,

If you've read the last couple of Allergy Counseling Zone emails, you already know that I'm in the full swing of fall conference season, presenting to both provider and patient populations throughout North America this fall. That means my conference prep is your gain!

Having already looked at the impacts food allergy has on key development and functioning within individuals and families in the last couple of emails, let's look through the third and final lens: the systems lens.

What do I mean by the systems lens?

Having received my graduate degree in marriage and family therapy, I was trained to be a systems thinker. This means that I not only take into account what's happening to the individuals within a family, but also, how each individual impacts the others, AND how each subsystem is impacted, too. I'm always thinking about the bidirectional relationship each part has with the other parts.

Here's a diagram to illustrate this systems view:

Now, let's explore what to consider about the impacts food allergy has when looking through a systems lens!

1. Individual: It may seem obvious to explore how a food allergy diagnosis impacts the individual, but beyond the basics including impacts on daily functioning, consider the following: how it impacts the development of self-efficacy, autonomy, and their sense of self. Food allergy is just one part of a person's identity, but sometimes it takes up most of the person's thoughts and energy, so exploring these deeper topics can be useful.
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2. Family: Beyond focusing on how the food allergy impacts the whole family unit, look at each subsystem. This would include the parent-child, parent-parent, and sibling subsystems. How are these relationships impacted by the food allergy, both positively and negatively, and how do those factors impact how the whole family navigates life with food allergy? Relationships can impact food allergy management, so understanding each part of family's system can be beneficial.
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3. Extended Family: The extended family typically includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and so on, but can also include those who are close enough to be considered family. How do these relationships impact food allergy management? Can the allergic individual and parents trust others to follow through with allergen safety protocols or to care for the child? Are family members open-minded about food allergy, or are they dismissive? Is the individual and family attending holiday gatherings, or avoiding, and if so, why? It can be helpful to explore safe and workable solutions in these areas as needed.
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4. Community: This would include all of the people and experiences beyond the individual and family, such as school, work, activities, clubs, religious groups, social experiences, healthcare, accessibility to medication and foods, etc. These areas can present struggles that at times feel impossible to navigate because of the lack of control the individual or family might have. Therefore, it can be useful to explore how they CAN influence (rather than control) outcomes in these areas and develop workable solutions rather than automatically avoiding.

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I'll leave you with this final thought about looking at food allergy through a systemic view:
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It's helpful to explore the bidirectional relationship food allergy has with each of these systems. That is, look at how the food allergy impacts each system AND how each system impacts the food allergy because it will offer a much deeper understanding of your patients' daily experiences.
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So glad to connect with you again, and please feel free to respond to this email to say hi and let me know what you'd like to read about in future emails. And as always, don't forget to take good care of yourself, too!

Founder & CEO, The Food Allergy Counselor
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
AAAAI & ACAAI Allied Health Member

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DISCLAIMER: The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical or mental healthcare advice of your own healthcare provider. By reading this email, the reader acknowledges that there is no therapist-patient relationship between them and the author(s). If you think you are observing a medical or mental health emergency, call 911 immediately.​
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