As we began our own lives with our special children, we looked long and hard for information, tools, and wisdom that would help us move from denial and despair to a more positive and loving place. While we found many great ideas from far flung sources, we could not find anything that tied these ideas together in the framework of raising children with significant special needs.

As they say, "necessity is the mother of invention" so we decided to create our own ideal experience for parents. The result is our "Building a Joyful Life" workshop -- it contains the tools and information that we wished that someone had shared with us earlier in our own journeys.

The workshops are customized for the audience and length of time. The entire workshop takes a full day but we can work with clients to create an agenda and length that works for their needs.

Workshop Description

Do you want to help your child? Then focus on yourself for a change. If you are like many parents of children with special needs, the lion?s share of your energy goes towards helping your child thrive and succeed. Our own needs often get pushed aside, leading to stress, burn-out, and resentment. Yet, extensive research shows that when parents are happy with their own lives, they are also able to do their best for their children.

• The stages of adjustment that parents of children with special needs go through
• Building a personal support team for yourself and your child
• Reframing painful feelings and situations
• Acknowledging lost dreams and developing new ones
• Redefining your expectations for your child?s life and your own
• Strengthening and deepening your positive relationship with your child

You will leave the workshop with some solid tools for bringing your life back into balance and supporting your own needs as well as the needs of your child.

This workshop was developed and is led by two mothers, Nancy Whiteman and Linda Roan-Yager, who both have children with special needs. With over 3 decades of combined expertise in designing and leading workshops, Nancy and Linda are experienced, compassionate, and practical guides for parents who want to improve the quality of their lives as well as the lives of their children.

Email us at information@shiftingview.com or call us at 720-565-9225 for information on upcoming workshops.

Professional Workshops

Shifting View also offers workshops for educators, therapists, and other professionals who work with families who have children with special needs. Our focus is on helping professionals work with parents in ways that support full partnership and effective communication.

Workshop Description

As teachers and professionals who work with children with special needs, you know first hand that raising these children can be a physically and emotionally exhausting experience for their parents. The research shows that children with special needs do best when their parents are leading balanced and happy lives, yet in the stresses of day to day life, that sense of balance can be elusive. In our workshops, you will learn how to build true collaborative partnerships with parents including supporting parents in taking care of their own lives while caring for their children. The workshop will provide you with solid tools for understanding and responding to parents' needs with insight and compassion--for yourself as well as your families.

The workshop covers the following topics:

• Articulating our guiding beliefs around disabilities and illness; what messages do we want give children and parents?
• How to identify and support parents at various stages of adjustment
• Communication skills and strategies
• Working effectively with challenging personalities
• Action planning for our own work with families

This workshop was developed and is led by Nancy Whiteman and Linda Roan-Yager, parents who both have children with special needs. With over three decades of combined expertise in designing and leading workshops, Nancy and Linda are experienced, compassionate, and practical guides.