PARENT SUPPORT & ADVOCACY
Parents are equal partners in the team that helps develop the educational program for your child. Being able to communicate and work effectively with school professionals can be overwhelming, especially if a child is experiencing learning difficulties. Our goal at BES is to meet the child and family right where they are, and to assist in working collaboratively with the team of professionals involved in the child's process.
BES advocacy and parent support is founded in a respectful and collaborative approach which strives to empower parents and families as they share their child’s story. The BES team facilitates a process which supports creative problem solving, and is inclusive of all stakeholders and professionals serving the child. This approach can also result in BES supporting parents and families in the decision-making process to change their child’s educational setting, in order to better address their unique needs.
There are a variety of ways that we provide parent support:
Review 504 plans or IEP's, and providing consultation support and guidance;
Assist in identifying accommodations, modifications and goals that would benefit your child based on their unique learning needs;
Assist in preparing for a meeting with school staff, a 504-committee meeting, or an Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting;
Participate in a phone conference with school staff to assist in problem-solving a situation or discussing effective strategies to improve instruction and student performance;
Attend a meeting with school staff (504-committee meetings, pre-ARD and ARD committee meetings) to provide support and advocacy;
Assist in making decisions about the appropriate educational setting for a child;
Accompany parents on visits to specific schools, campuses and classrooms in consideration of a placement for their child;
Conduct classroom observations of a child, and collaborate with parents and school staff, related to effective instructional strategies and social emotional supports.
POSITIVE DISCIPLINE COACHING
At BES, we offer Positive Discipline Parent coaching that is geared towards children with special needs. This program was developed by Dr. Jane Nelson, and is based on the work of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreukurs.
We are trained in this program because its methods are tailored to children with special needs who might struggle with finding a supportive and understanding community. Recent research tells us that children are hardwired from birth to connect with others, and that children who feel a sense of connection to their community, family, and school are less likelyto struggle in these various environments.
Positive Discipline Parent Coaching
Our sessions are tailored to support families with children who have unique needs, such as attention challenges, Executive Functioning deficits, and other mental health needs. While all families can benefit from Positive Discipline, this workshop is especially helpful for those who have “tried everything” and need more. Here is what parents can expect:
10 individualized and consecutive 1-hour sessions with Mia Roldan, LCSW, LCDC, Clinical Therapist, Certified Positive Discipline Parent Coach. Sessions can be either virtual or in person based on the family’s preference.
To truly individualize, Mia will review any evaluations and school-based documents pertaining to the specific special needs of the child prior to starting the sessions. To provide continuity of care, she will collaborate with other helping professionals who know the family and/or child well.
Ongoing access to Mia between sessions to help problem-solve and collaborate, as issues unfold in the home. She will be available to parents by text and/or email Monday - Friday, 8am-8pm to offer coaching when specific questions come up. (Responses will be answered within the same day.) This allows for meaningful growth not only during sessions, but between meetings as well.
Families will be provided Positive Discipline materials, (ex. visuals, charts, printed schedules, etc.) to utilize at home, based on the needs of the child and family.
At the conclusion of the 10 sessions, Mia will provide recommendations for continued support and next steps after completion of the parent coaching program (including support for parents and/or children).
PARENT AND FAMILY THERAPY
Gabor Maté said, “Children swim in their parents’ unconscious (the atmosphere at home) like fish swim in the sea”. Our children absorb our moods and interpret our nervous system. We come into this role influenced by how we were parented, as well as by what our experience of being a child and teenager was like. Additionally, when one is a parent of a child with high needs and/or various diagnoses, we are often in uncharted territory and are presented with a whole other set of expectations, responsibilities and systems.
Parent and Family Therapy is an opportunity to learn about the developmental stages of your child plus the necessary coping skills to have the presence to look at your child’s actions and interactions through a lens of curiosity in order to respond to the message they are trying to communicate rather than responding only to the behavior. This does not mean accepting the unacceptable; rather it’s an opportunity to be clear about your family values and reinforce your family rules and boundaries.
With our clinical therapist you will discuss different parenting styles: authoritative vs. permissive and authoritarian vs. overprotective. You will discuss raising resilience children today, how stress is both a stimulus and a response, the importance of co-regulation, and emotion coaching techniques to build self-esteem in your child. You will discuss the inevitable but necessary reality of rupture, and the key to repair in building interpersonal bridges with your child. You will discuss understanding your child’s needs and expectations within your attachment relationship.
Each set of parents and family is unique, so the frequency and duration of parent sessions as well as family sessions will depend on a mutually agreed upon goal between you and our clinical therapist. The sessions will be based on what is in the best interest of the treatment plan.
For new clients and inquiries, please email lauren@laurenbajwa.com for the quickest response.