A 10 Week Small Group Program for Caregivers of Neurodiverse Family Members via Zoom
This will be an accepting, non-judgmental group dedicated to support and build the emotional resilience in family members caring for individuals with ASD or other diverse needs. This includes parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, adult siblings, etc
About the Event
This small group program is limited to parents and caregivers in British Columbia, 20 spaces are available, and a bursary application is required. Apply through the form here.
The group content will apply to caregivers who support any age range of child or family member, including those who support adult family members. Participation in this group will teach skills to help you recharge your emotional and physical reservoir, cope with stress effectively, improve your caregiving relationship and build associated skills in your child or family member.
Mindful Compassionate Parenting is a 10-week course that combines empirically based practices from Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), along with research that supports caregiver and family wellbeing.
For those who dedicate their lives to caring for others, this is an opportunity for you to dedicate some time to important self care, learning how to treat yourself with kindness, and soothe any ragged emotions during difficult times. You will learn self-compassion practices that can help combat compassion fatigue when coping with the demands of caregiving. The stress reduction component will help you learn how to identify reactive patterns and respond to your own needs and the needs of those you care for more effectively. Caregivers will learn tools to help them manage stress, model compassion and kindness, and listen deeply to better support the needs of their children and family.
Attend this program where you will learn how to:
Activate your soothing system and regulate feelings of threat, worry and self-criticism.
Recognize your stress patterns and respond more skillfully to situations involving yourself and those you care for.
Attend to the needs of those you care for with kindness, patience, and wisdom.
Increase the emotional strength, well being and problem-solving abilities of those you care for.
Create healthier and more productive relationships between family members.
To learn more about this program, please send your questions to info@actcommunity.ca, or visit the Mindful Self Compassion for Life website.
Course Facilitators
Georgina Robinson PhD
Dr. Robinson is a certified School Psychologist, trained teacher of Mindful Self Compassion and Making Friends with Yourself, with additional training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy. Georgina is grateful to have received training from international leaders in Mindfulness Based Interventions including Susan Woods, Mark Williams, Rebecca Crane, Christopher Germer, Kristen Neff and Lorraine Hobbs.
Georgina brings over 25 years of experience working with children, families, and schools with particular focus on supporting those with ASD and complex needs. She considers her greatest learning being her experience raising her own children including a son with ASD. Learn more about Georgina.
Zoey Ryan BSc, PCC
In addition to being a ‘Mindful Self Compassion Trained Teacher’ and Certified Life Coach, Zoey brings over 25 years experience as a Health Educator to her work. During this time, Zoey worked in the community, supporting moms experiencing anxiety and depression during pregnancy and beyond. Zoey is a trained Pre-Natal and Hatha Yoga instructor and is trained in Body-Centered Coaching. Learn more about Zoey.
Cost/Fund/Bursaries
This program usually has a $500 registration fee, but ACT is providing full bursaries for 20 applicants to attend for free to assess if an online program such as this can support the health and well being of adult caregivers of individuals with special needs across the age range. If you wish to participate, please fill in this bursary application. Please note this program is for residents of British Columbia only. ACT will notify all applicants if they have received a space by March 16th, 2021.
ACT's Bursary Fund is made possible by the support of our individual donors. If you would like to contribute your support to ACT's bursary fund, please consider making a donation.