Sibshops is a much-needed program just for brothers and sisters of children with special needs. The goal of Sibshops is to address the needs of siblings by allowing them to share, play and learn with other children through relevant, age-appropriate fun activities. We try to provide a safe, nurturing environment and a therapeutic component. Child or children must be 8-12 years old to attend.

 

At a Sibshops, brothers and sisters will:

• Meet other brothers and sisters of children with special needs

• Have fun making crafts, playing games and eating pizza

• Make new friends

• Talk about their experiences with others who really know what it's like to have a sibling with a disability

• Discuss important issues they are having in Circle Time with a Registered Marriage Family Therapist Intern**

 

Limit of 14 kids. No walk-ins are allowed.

 

You must register each month for the upcoming Sibshops. Being on time allows everyone to enjoy Sibshops without interruption. Please bring a completed Sibshops Registration Form (only one Form required for this spring) with you to your child's first Sibshops. Cost for PHP members is $20.00 per family and $30.00 for non-members. Contact Deena Shi at (408)727-5775 ext. 116 for more information. 

 

** To better serve families and add a therapeutic dimension to Sibshops, we are introducing Laura Beth DeHority to our Sibshops program. 

 

Laura Beth DeHority is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern (IMF 96095, Supervisor Julie Nasser, MFC 41524) who completed her M.A. in Marital and Family Therapy at Western Seminary, San Jose, in 2016. She received her B.A. in Business Management and Communications from Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia. After a career in Public Relations/Social Media, she returned to graduate school as her youngest child entered high school.

 

She is the Immediate Past Board Chair of Via Services, a private, independent non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities and special needs achieve greater self-sufficiency and lead richer lives.

Laura Beth’s greatest area of interest is working with families who are touched by special needs. Her work provides support to those who are siblings and long-term caregivers, giving them the opportunity to explore solutions that will bring them hope and joy in their circumstances.

She works with couples, siblings, groups and multi-generational families to provide support in areas of family roles and communication, stress reduction, anxiety, depression, grief and addiction.

 

 

In the meantime check out these resources serving Siblings! 

 

Adult Siblings, visit this page.

 

What do you need to know about your other children?
This article may shed some light:  http://www.parentprojectmd.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Understand_family_siblings_jack&printer_friendly=1 

 

SIBNET LISTSERV
The SibNet Listserv is an online community for adult siblings around the world to share information and discuss issues of common interest. You can now join the SibNet group via Facebook as well as Yahoo.com. To subscribe go to http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/SibNet

 

SIBLINGS FACE CHALLENGES
People who have a sibling with a mental health disorder are more likely to experience episodes of depression at some point in their lives, say researchers who analyzed four decades of data. Additionally, they found that people who have a sibling with low IQ are more likely to live near that brother or sister but to be somewhat emotionally detached from that sibling. The findings were reported in the Journal of Family Psychology. 

 

SibTeen Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SibTeenGroup/ 

 

Great video about a boy and his sister, who has Down syndrome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FgPUAL67-qY