The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

In this session, the presentation will start with a group brainstorming activity, related to what the group thinks of when they think of self-care--first they will list what the word makes them think of (perhaps "neccessary, but time-consuming," "non-negotiable," "great for other people, not for me," etc.) and then what are examples they think of as self-care activities (possibly yoga, deep breathing, time away from children, therapy, etc.). Each participant will do a brief self-inventory to determine if they are in need of more self-care (the answer will undoubtedly be yes, or why would they be in the session?) We will have a discussion about what transition means for each of them, knowing that for some participants, transition means they will get more independence, as their child will be going off to college or another program designed to teach them independence, and for others, their child will fall off the services cliff, and as parents, they will be more responsible for their child's well-being and livlihood than ever). We will briefly discuss research related to the importance of a healthy parent-adult child relationship, and the role that their personal self-care will play in that. Participants will go through a series of activities designed for self-care, including a mindfulness activity, a gratitude list, breathing exercises, and more. Participants will also receive a list of exercises and resources to take with them. The session will end with an anonymous goal setting exercise, where each participant shares something that want to put into practice to take care of themselves, as well as one way their self-care can positively impact their relationship with their child and their role as a parent.