Afraid of the Doctor

Afraid of the Doctor is the first book written for parents with the primary goal of equipping them with the knowledge and skills to support their children through medical challenges on a day-to-day basis, and specifically with medical trauma—experiences in healthcare that can profoundly affect a child’s response and willingness to even go to the doctor. The challenge of medical trauma is often under-recognized and overlooked in the healthcare system, leaving parents to learn about it and manage it on their own. When parents understand medical trauma and learn strategies to reduce and even prevent it, they become empowered to better care for their child’s emotional and physical health.

Afraid of the Doctor integrates character stories throughout the book to illustrate the signs and symptoms of medical trauma and the roles parents and caregivers play in supporting their child through medical challenges. Readers will find twelve distinct strategies they can implement to help prevent and reduce medical trauma and otherwise support their child while facing medical interventions or a chronic condition. These strategies are illustrated through anecdotes, step-by-step guides, examples, and research evidence. With compassion and empathy, Meghan Marsac and Melissa Hogan offer parents the tools they need to choose the strategies that will work best for their children and their families, and how to modify them to address their unique situations.

In addition to addressing the traumas that children may face, the authors carefully discuss the types of trauma that a parent may experience as they care for a child with a medical condition, equipping them with tools to recognize and address their own trauma experience related to their child’s medical care.

Melissa J. Hogan, JD, is a parent to a child with a rare, genetic disease who has faced a countless number of surgeries, specialists, and as a result, medical trauma. In addition to caregiving and advocating for her son’s needs, she is a consultant for clinical trials in rare and neurodegenerative disorders and has published in several medical journals. She also founded the leading research and advocacy foundation in Hunter syndrome, Project Alive, which has raised millions of dollars for research, and previously worked as a attorney in the healthcare field. She is a frequent speaker on health care and educational advocacy, rare diseases, and clinical trials. She lives with her three sons and a service dog outside Nashville, Tennessee.

Meghan L. Marsac, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist with expertise in helping children and families adjust to and deal with medical conditions. She is currently a tenured, Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky. She has published her NIH and foundation-funded research on medical trauma in lead medical and psychology journals. She has presented at national conferences for the American Academy of Pediatrics, the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, the Society of Pediatric Psychology and the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy among others. She has ongoing international collaborations on the impact of COVID-19 on preschool children and their caregivers. She also leads medical trauma training for healthcare professionals through the national Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress. In addition, she is the lead creator of the Cellie Coping Kit for children with medical conditions. She lives with her family in Lexington, Kentucky.

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