Classes and Workshops
new diagnosis: the first year - for parents and caregivers
This workshop offers parents of children and teens who are newly diagnosed, an overview of the effects of Type 1 Diabetes on children and the family as a whole. It is aimed to prepare you for the basics of how to adjust to some of the many changes you and your family are and will continue to go through. It will provide you with tools and information focusing on managing stress, emphasizing both short and long term emotional-well being for your child with Type 1 and your family as a whole, and help you with the shift and re-structuring of your parenting and family life post-diagnosis. A new diagnoses resource packet will be provided.
developmental issues: understanding what your child needs emotionally from stage to stage
This class will go over how the emotional issues and needs of your child will vary depending on the age and developmental stage he/she is in, and how Type 1 Diabetes adds a unique layer to typical child emotional development. Focus will be on the special needs of children and teens with Type 1 Diabetes and how best to address those needs given the stage of development they are in.
compliance issues & power struggles
What parent doesn't have some compliance and power struggle issues with their child or teen? Now add in the unique issues of Type 1 Diabetes, and suddenly, you realize you are in at a different level of this otherwise common parent-child territory. This workshop will help guide you through and provide you with not only sound rationale and understanding of the dynamics of compliance issues and power struggles, but offer you solid tools and solutions to avoid them as much as possible, and to step out of this dynamic with your child or teen.
the teen years: for parents
With all that comes with being a teenager, having Type 1 Diabetes adds an extra layer of challenges to not only the teen, but to his or her parents as well. The gradual independence that should come naturally with the teen years, gets complicated by the dependency needs on others to help them manage their Type 1 Diabetes. This workshop will guide you through ways to navigate these years in order to optimize your relationship with your teen and aim for the best emotional outcome for not only your teen, but for you as well, as you prepare for their increasing independence as they head towards young adulthood.