Special Presentation: Barbara Patterson , M.Ed. Registered Psychologist 7:00-9:00pm Wednesday, September 28 Autism Calgary Centre

Children with Differences:
Psychological services for children with disabilities and their families

Barbara has been consulting on children with severe disabilities since 1998.  She began her journey at the University of Calgary completing a Master’s degree, in counseling in Educational Psychology, researching and understanding parenting of children with Attention Deficit Disorders.  She presently supports school staff in several school districts in southern Alberta, along with a multidisciplinary team.  Her role has been to provide consultation and assessment on behavioral and cognitive challenges for students who have been coded severe by Alberta Education, for example, severe cognitive disabilities, severe multiple disabilities, severe medical or physical disabilities, and deafness or blindness. In addition, a large focus of my work has been working with students within the autism spectrum.  As a result of these experiences, she has found a need to support families in coping with their children’s differences.  “I have decided to return to my beginnings and provide coaching/counseling to individuals with differences and their families.”
What to Expect
The presentation will review some of the emotional barriers parents face and the subsequent grief cycle, as it relates to having a child with a disability.  In addition, a parent coaching model which includes, the families’ personal experience or journey, stage development of their child, understanding their child’s challenges and developing strategies to deal with day to day life will be presented. A brief description of the methodology Barbara uses for coaching individuals challenged with social interaction differences and those who experience anxiety will be covered, as well.

To Register for this session leave a message with your name and contact information. In the event we must change the location, all registered participants will be contacted.
Click here to Register by Email or by telephone call 403-250-5033 and dial Zero