parents of special needs children

In the last three episodes of Parenting Impossible, The Special Needs Survival Podcast,  Annette Hines has been telling her story to explain how her journey brought her into the disability community as a mother, caregiver, advocate, and attorney. Now we are going to explore with the help of Shari Foos how stories can provide us with a real human connection. Shari Foos is a therapist, relationship specialist, adjunct professor, and creator of The Narrative Method. The Narrative Method is an award-winning approach to building connections between people through their storytelling.  There are twelve Core Concepts within the Narrative Method. Relational Mindfulness is a core concept that promotes the humanistic practice of relating compassionately to build deeper understanding. Another concept, A.W.E.  is embracing Awareness, Wonder, and Empathy to see the world through someone else’s perspectives. Each concept describes the ways in which we connect with one another. Shari shares with us that telling stories to one another allows us to be invited into belonging with others, creating mutual respect and empathy for each other. So please join us for this very insightful show! Learn more about Shari Foos's The Narrative Method, and the DIY Human Deck of Cards.

Shari Foos is a marriage and family therapist, adjunct professor, and creator of The Narrative Method, a California non-profit organization. Shari also co-founded the Bridge in 1999, a free humanities program for low-income adults at Antioch University Los Angeles. She received an MS in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University and a MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles. Ms. Foos serves on the board of the City Kids Foundation and is the recipient of the New Directions for Veterans Community Hero Award (2015) and The Antioch University Los Angeles Lifetime Achievement Award (2016). As a sought-after expert on the subject of relationships, remote group dynamics, and meaningful connection, her writing and commentary have appeared in a range of online and print publications and podcasts, including Real Simple, Huffington Post, Women’s Health, KBLA, Fatherly, Thrive Global, Shondaland, and The LA Weekly.

Have you been searching for a law firm that understands the unique challenges of your family? We can help you at Special Needs Law Group put legal planning in place to protect you and your loved ones now and in the future. Book a free call today with our team or contact us via our website: specialneeds-law.com/contact.

We are thrilled to bring you our first episode in our spotlight series A Focus on Education with an interview with the dynamic advocate and supporter, Mary Sokolowski, Ph.D. from College Internship Program (CIP).  The College Internship Program (CIP) is a private young adult transition program for individuals 18-26 with autism, ADHD, and other learning differences offering comprehensive and specialized services.   

Mary helps us kick off this series with a conversation about what people with learning challenges can and should have the opportunity to achieve. We talk about the article that Mary wrote a few years ago which is what prompted us to invite her to be on the show.  

Please join us as we head down this path of transition, college and beyond for people with disabilities. Mary gives some great takeaways and ideas for parents, families, and adults with disabilities on how to start to navigate through this period of uncertainty and change.  We talk about how much learning is done outside of the classroom and how programs like CIP really “get” this about students with autism, ADHD and other learning challenges. 

We know that this episode is going to shine a little light on transition and bring important and compassionate information to families and self-advocates.   We can’t wait for you to listen! 

Before joining CIP in 2018, Mary worked for twenty years in the field of post-secondary education as an instructor and administrator. She served as adjunct faculty at several colleges and universities in the northeast. Mary also worked as Director of Federal Relations at SUNY-Binghamton and Director of Community and Government Relations at Salve Regina University. For the past two years, Mary has served as the Admissions Coordinator at CIP’s Berkshire location.

As she joins the National Team at CIP, Mary brings with her a passion for working with students with learning differences and a desire to communicate effectively with diverse individuals and groups.

Have you been searching for a law firm that understands the unique challenges of your family? We can help you at Special Needs Law Group put legal planning in place to protect you and your loved ones now and in the future. Book a free call today with our team or contact us via our website: specialneeds-law.com/contact.

In this week’s podcast, Annette speaks with Attorney Tracey Ingle and speaker, coach, and Psychologist Dr. Sarah Reiff-Hekking about setting goals for yourself for the new year.  Tracey is the founder of Ingle Law and works with clients to create their estate plans and plan out the future.  Sarah is the founder of True Focus Coaching Inc and works with clients to transform their lives and businesses.

Setting goals can feel overwhelming for some people.  Some may not be able to visualize their goals or be able to think of goals in the long term rather than short term.  The first thing Sarah mentions to people is to NOT do resolutions as they are really only a will power thing and will only get you so far.  You should create a completed vision of your goal – what will it look like when you reach it?  Once you have that in mind, you work backwards to create the steps to get to this goal.  This does not have to be figured out right away.  You will want to break it into smaller pieces and spend at least 5-10 minutes every so often working on some of the details to get you to your goal.

Another important key is to pick only one or two goals and make them realistic.  Most of us including those that are caregivers, are already too stressed and pushed to their limits. Adding a huge list of unrealistic goals to accomplish is a sure way to chip away at your personal energy and motivation levels.  Don’t try to do it all yourself.  Delegate if possible.  You may find someone that would love to do that task for you or maybe someone will have an easier and quicker way to do it.

Tracey uses systems with her clients to keep them on track with their estate plan goals.  There are clear steps as to who does what next and by what date.  Keeping clients on track and moving toward their goals keeps the momentum going.  Tracey even sends out congratulations cards to clients when their estate plan goals are met and are complete.

Annette, Tracey and Sarah all agree that getting support and asking for help is important.  It is human to get stuck and need assistance.  It is not a sign of failure and not a sign that you are not good enough if you can’t do it alone.  Sarah leaves us with the thought that “Success never happens in a vacuum.”

If you would like to contact Attorney Tracey Ingle, you may find her on her website

Have you been searching for a law firm that understands the unique challenges of your family? We can help you at Special Needs Law Group put legal planning in place to protect you and your loved ones now and in the future. Book a free call today with our team or contact us via our website: specialneeds-law.com/contact.