Peer Support
Supporting Parent Training
In Honor of Supporting Parents
Nexus Program Update

Peer Support
Parent to Parent’s Family Support Coordinators are committed to providing information and support to families, whether they are contacting us at the early stages of their child’s diagnosis, throughout the journey of adjustment to the dynamics a special need brings to the individual and family, or during transitions, milestones and crisis situations for the family. Of all the programs, the One-to-One Match Program is unique because it is based on the concept of peer support.  Through our Match Program, we connect a parent who has “been there” with a parent seeking help.  In many cases, parents who at one point in time had requested peer support, are later volunteering to be trained as Supporting Parents.  In some cases, however, parents who have not previously been part of the Match Program and have struggled through their journey without peer support, are committed to ensuring that other parents don’t have to go through it alone.  After an extensive training, Supporting Parents begin their relationship with a parent whose child shares a similar diagnosis or experience.  Our Supporting Parents offer their experiences and resources, helping their peers through difficult times and breaking through the isolation as they learn to cope with all the changes and often the “loss of a dream” they had for their family.  (In a national study of parents with children with special needs, in which Vermont was selected as one of five sites, Parent to Parent support was found to increase parents’ acceptance of their situation and their sense of being able to cope.)

In the first half of 2003, Parent to Parent has scheduled 3 Supporting Parent Trainings – January 25th in Burlington, March 19th in Waterbury, and May 8th in White River Junction.  The parents and grandparents who participate in Supporting Parent Trainings are empowered self-advocates, who are in a place in their lives where they can now give back to others the peer support they might have once received.  The success of these trainings is a testament to the value of peer support and the connections made between Supporting and Referred Parents. We currently have approximately 236 Supporting Parents in our network.  ©

January 25 Supporting Parent Training Summary by Mary Blow
We’d like to thank the 4 wonderful parents who gave up their family time to come to a full-day training to become our newest Supporting Parents. The participants formed a dynamic group, and the day was filled with tears, laughter, and great discussions.  The parents and staff were able to devote a lot of time to supporting each other and problem-solving, as we learned of the challenges, struggles, milestones and successes each family was experiencing.

The day went by so quickly, as we shared family stories and learned how to improve our listening and communications skills.  All participants did an exceptional job practicing these skills by role-playing typical one-to-one match scenarios.  The compassion and empathy the “Supporting Parent” demonstrated as they spoke with their “Referred Parent” reinforced what wonderful support each of these parents will soon be giving to their peers.

Pictured are Kerry Zuccareno, Cheryl Letourneau, Jessica Lagro (sorry Jessica for misspelling in print!), and Nancy Osborne

My colleagues Jan Hancock, Betty Morse, and I left the training touched by parents’ stories and accomplishments.  Their journeys which prepared them for this new role to become a Supporting Parent were all different, yet they shared so many common experiences.  They all came with the same purpose in mind – to help other families.  Their enthusiasm and quest for information to prepare them to support other parents in a confident manner provided us with a new opportunity – we are going to bring this group of Supporting Parents back together in a few months to do a follow-up training session.  We look forward to hearing how their matches are working out and what needs they might have for additional support and educational training.  We are eternally grateful to all of our Supporting Parents in Vermont, appreciate their commitment to Parent to Parent, and for their role in helping us carry out our mission – to provide support to families! ©

In Honor of Supporting Parents
To honor all of our Supporting Parents, we would like to request a recent photograph of you to add to our Supporting Parent display.  We would like to have everyone represented.

Additionally, if you are interested in writing a short autobiography including some of the rewards of being a Supporting Parent, we would like to capture your experiences to potentially be used for outreach purposes in Parent to Parent’s newsletter, on our web-site, at trainings, and so on.  Please feel free to compose your story and send it to Mary Blow at Mary.Blow@partoparvt.org ©

Nexus Program Update
Parent to Parent is pleased to announce the addition of Betty Morse, Family Resource Coordinator, to our Family Support staff.  Betty has been hired as part of our Nexus Program, an effort to bring Parent to Parent to communities in the underserved regions of Vermont.  Betty’s position is supported by the Family Center of Northwestern Vermont and the Joshua Project, and she will be providing the same level of support to families in Franklin and Grand Isle counties as the staff in our central office provide.

The Nexus Program is funded by the U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau, making Vermont one of six Family-to-Family Heath Information Centers in the country.  The purpose of the Nexus Program is to localize Parent to Parent and to focus on issues such as medical homes for children with special health needs, transition to adulthood issues, and parent leadership opportunities.

We will be expanding to Windham County in the spring of 2003 by hiring a Family Resource Coordinator, and our partner will be the Winston Prouty Center.  Parent to Parent is excited to be bringing our knowledgeable and supportive staff to families in their own communities and pleased to be partnering in this effort with local organizations.  ©

Late Winter 2003 - In this Issue:
From our Director
Board & Staff Update
Family Faculty | Family Support
Family Voices of Vermont
Partners In Care Conference Notes
Books & Beyond
Family Story: DiGiammarino's
Our Calendar | News & Note

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