Goals
- Providing siblings an opportunity to meet other siblings in a relaxed, recreational setting
- Providing siblings with opportunities to discuss common joys and concerns with others siblings
- Providing siblings with an opportunity to learn how others handle situations commonly experienced by siblings of children with special needs
- Providing siblings with an opportunity to learn more about the implications of their siblings' special needs.
- Providing parents and other professionals with opportunities to learn more about the concerns and opportunities frequently experienced by siblings
Format
Mrs. Susan Knauf will facilitate the younger children while Mrs. Donna Grosser will facilitate the middle school and teens.
Ages: 6-11, 12-18
Sessions: 10:00-12:00 the first Saturday each month
Group Size: 6 minimum to 12 maximum
Cost: $25 per session per child payable at first session. Family discount available for 2 or more family members attending. Package deals include pre-registering and pre-paying for advanced sessions. 3 sessions at $65.00 and 5 sessions for $99.00.Schoalarships through CARD and Early Steps may be available, please contact us for additional information.
Sibling Support Project website.
Donna Grosser
I began my journey into working with special needs children many years ago when my younger brother was born. My brother has High Functioning Autism. He is now a 42 year old marvel, working and living independently and very successfully. He has achieved a quality of life that is admirable and he is quite happy in his day to day living and relationships. As his sibling, I grew up with many of the same feelings and experiences many of the families I work with have expressed. It has always been a desire of mine to provide a group for the siblings of the children and families I with whom I work. Many of these families have asked me frequently if I could provide this. Their children are in my office with their parents often, wishing they would get a turn too, playing and talking. I am experienced with facilitating groups as I offer many social skills groups every year as well as other groups such as study skills, divorce, and anger management. As stated earlier, my mission is to provide siblings a place to meet, share, be affirmed, and interact with others with this common experience.
I am currently completing my certification in Sibshops®. My overall goal is for this to be an ongoing group, open to new and old members each time it is offered, and to provide a community service we do not currently have available.