Practical Strategies for Providing Special Needs Parent Support Groups Rev. Dr. Lorna Bradley Fellow, Hope and Healing Institute, Houston, Texas Website: SpecialNeedsParenting.me

Five Things Churches Can do for Special Needs Families Congregational awareness Inclusive ministries Support resources Respite opportunities for parents Information sharing (conferences, resource fairs and workshops focused on special needs topics)

Perceived Needs Expressed by Families with Special Needs Source: Welcoming People with Developmental Disabilities and Their Families: a Practical Guide for Congregations By Courtney Taylor, Erik Carter, et al. Divorce rate among special needs families is roughly twice that of typical families, with divorce often occurring within 3 years of diagnosis. (National Survey of Children’s Health, Journal Consulting Clinical Psychology, and others)

Why Do Families Need Support? Relieve isolation Help process emotions Receive theologically sound understanding of God and special needs Respite / self-care opportunity Increase personal and family resilience Provide good pastoral care

Plan and Prepare: When and Where Conversations with special needs parents Choose a day and time: daytime, weeknight, Sunday school hour, Sunday night Choose frequency: monthly, bi-weekly, weekly Choose a location: church, home, coffee shop, video conference Child care decision

Plan and Prepare: Choose a Format Book study Guest speakers Devotion and conversation Periodic social night out or retreat Will group be opened or closed to new members? Will group be ongoing?

Special Needs Parenting: from Coping to Thriving Seven-week study written specifically for launching new small groups Addresses common emotional and spiritual challenges of special needs parents Includes practical strategies to increase resilience, chapter discussion questions, scripture and weekly prayer Effective in increasing resilience and creating connections among members

Additional Authors Kathleen Bolduc Emily Colson Jeff Davidson Sandra Peoples Jolene Philo

Invite, Invite, Invite! Create awareness inside the congregation: articles, announcements, s, website, social media networking Create awareness outside the congregation: press release, social media networking, therapist offices, local schools for special needs, public school district, other non-profits (Easter Seals, etc.), follow the bus Personal invitation

Create an Inviting Space Comfortable seating in a circle Comfortable lighting Sign in sheet and name tags Allow adequate time (90 minutes) Provide tissues Light refreshments (optional)

Suggested Structure Open in prayer Invite participants to introduce themselves and share updates about the past week Introduce topic and work through discussion questions Gather prayer concerns Closing prayer

Sustaining the Group Maintain regular contact Use social media Encourage connections outside of meetings Add periodic outings and fun events Follow up when a person stops attending

Challenges Along the Way Finding a day and time that works Low turn out No shows and child care workers Challenging personalities o Parent with “all the answers” o “Kamikaze” parent o Overly negative parent o Parent with an agenda

Practical Strategies for Providing Special Needs Parent Support Groups Rev. Dr. Lorna Bradley Fellow, Hope and Healing Institute, Houston, Texas Website: SpecialNeedsParenting.me