OBJECTIVES: To identify the therapeutic factors present in the sessions of a Parent and Family Support Group for those with hospitalized children, from the perspective of the participants and the group coordinators. METHODS: A descriptive, exploratory study. The data were obtained by means of a checklist of the families and through identification of therapeutic factors by the coordinators of the group. RESULTS: The families indicated the presence of the following therapeutic factors in the group: cohesion, sharing of information, universality, existential factors, developing social skills, instillation of hope, altruism, interpersonal learning and imitative behavior; the coordinators identified cohesion, sharing of information, universality and existential factors. CONCLUSION: Identification of therapeutic factors is an important therapeutic tool for evaluating whether members are benefitting from their participation in the group.
self-help groups; group structure; education in health; hospitalized child
