Communication and Supporting Skills Workshops for Parents of Children and Adults with Disabilities

Eight Mondays:

September 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th 

and 

October 11th, 18th 25th, 2010

10.30am to 12.30pm, with refreshments from 10.00am

This programme aims to empower parents and to encourage them to be as effective as possible for the demanding rolethey have. The programme acknowledges the considerable expertise of parents and seeks to promote: 

• Self-care in order to prevent burnout
• Stress management as a means of reducing stress
• Mutual support for accessing support for self and others
• Listening skills as a means of enhancing relationships (both within the family and with service providers)
• Assertion skills as a way of claiming rights and having needs met
• Information to ensure awareness and confidence. 

The programme will describe the reactions and feelings that parents of disabled children and adults report they experienced when they were first told that their child had a disability. Opportunities will be provided for participants to share their experiences.

The aim is to provide parents with the skills to more ably manage the issues that family members of children and adults with disability encounter.

Content of Workshops:

• Setting the scene:   introductions, overview & purpose of the workshops; sharing family details; dealing with stress and caring for oneself. 
• Reactions and feelings of parents to the diagnosis of disability; sharing of experiences; approaches to mutual support. 
• What is support? Developing the skills to support others.
• Further skills to support self and others.
• Still more skills to support self and others.
• Developing the skills of assertion as a means of advocating for oneself, one’s family and others.
• Further assertion/advocacy skills. Revision and integration of the skills of the workshops. 

Facilitators:    Ray Murray and Nola Manickam

Ray has facilitated this type of workshop on a regular basis in Auckland, New Zealand and Dublin, Ireland as well as training parents and professionals to work as partners in delivering similar workshops in Queensland for the Parent to Parent Association.

Nola is a parent and has worked in the field as an Radiographer. Nola supports the work of the Centre for Disability Studies as a member of the Board.

Fee:  $50.00 (for whole programme)

Venue:  St. Albans Anglican Church, Lower Hall, 3 Pembroke Street, Epping (2 minutes walk from the station)

Booking:  contact Margaret
Phone:   8878 0500
Email:    mcarrick@med.usyd.edu.au