Today I want to share with you about something that is very near and dear to my heart. If you have are a Parent of a child with special health care needs, disability, or mental health concerns then you might find this a valuable resource. Parent 2 Parent is a national non profit organization whose mission it is to provide emotional and informational support to families of children with special needs. Many of us feel that we are alone and sometimes you wish you could talk to someone who has been through it. One thing to remember is your not alone. The second thing is you can talk to someone who has been through it.
This program is defined as parent to parent support as the intentional connection between a trained volunteer Support Parent and a parent that is seeking information, resources, guidance, and support from an experienced parent. You talk to a referral coordinator who then will ask you some questions in order to help you find the most successful match. Now before you are paired with a match you have to give consent for that to happen. Then the support parent gets asked if they can agree and you your information will be passed on to the support parent. Then the support parent will reach out and call. There is follow up done by the referral coordinator to make sure that things are going well. The matches can be a follow up over several days or weeks: while some do evolve into life long friendships.
To read more about how the matches are made in greater detail and find out if Parent 2 Parent is available in your state click here. If your interested in becoming a volunteer Support Parent you can also visit the website to find out how.
Parent 2 Parent is a wonderful program. I only wish that I had known about it when my son was first diagnosed with Autism. I didn’t know anyone who had a child with autism. He was diagnosed young and now we are transitioning into a adulthood. My daughter is just beginning her journey with Aspergers. The one reason why I decided to volunteer is I don’t ever want anyone to feel alone. I try really hard to always be there for people and to help with resources when I can. I knew it was something that I would also enjoy doing.
I went to training at the end of March and I am currently on my 4th match. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I can help answer questions and share my experiences. The one perk to this is the bonds you make with other parents. I have been very blessed to have the wonderful matches I have, and I surely hope they feel the same. The experience that I have with the program so far is I have been asked about my own experiences as they are similar to ones that one is going through right now. I have also been asked questions about things such as what was my experience for potty training my son, what do I do when my daughter has sleepless nights, and more. We have talked about different resources. The one thing that I really enjoy about the phone calls is that I absolutely LOVE hearing about the gains! It doesn’t matter what gain it is, big or small, it is a BIG deal. Any gain is worth celebrating and being excited over!
So I encourage you that if you have questions, or want information, or just want someone to listen or share experiences with to give Parent 2 Parent a call. If you want to volunteer or was looking for something to volunteer for, I also encourage you to as well!
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