Practical Strategies for

Providing Special Needs

Parent Support Groups

Rev. Dr. Lorna Bradley

Fellow, Hope and Healing Institute, Houston, Texas

Email: lbradley@hopeandhealingcenter.org

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 byFamilies 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, 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, emails, 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

Email: lbradley@hopeandhealingcenter.org

Website: SpecialNeedsParenting.me