In this conversation, Valerie Arbeau discusses the journeyof creating a forever home for her special needs child as she transitioned into adulthood. She shares her personal experiences as a parent of children with special needs, emphasizing the importance of self-care, recognizing triggers, and the need for effective communication.
Valerie also highlights the possibility and value ofplanning for a separate living arrangement for children with special needs and offers coaching support for parents navigating this journey. She gives encouragement for parents to be authentically themselves and not only dare todream for their children's futures, but their own personal futures as well.
Keywords
Special needs, forever home, empowerment coaching,parenting, self-care, communication, transition, planning, support, mental health
Chapters
00:00 Navigating Independence for Special Needs Children
03:34 Valerie's Journey and Motivation
06:07 Recognizing Overwhelm and Self-Care
08:50 Identifying Triggers and Building Awareness
11:33 The Importance of Communication and Apologies
14:23 Planning for a Forever Home
17:04 Creating a Safe Space for Special Needs Children
20:04 Empowering Parents to Create Futures for TheirChildren
24:13 Creating a Community for Melody Anne
25:57 Smooth Transitions and Communication
27:32 Empowerment Through Independence
30:00 Supporting Special Needs Parents
30:57 Planning for the Future
33:02 Designing the Forever Home
37:21 The Balance of Caregiving and Motherhood
39:28 Offering Support to Parents
42:31 Authenticity in Parenting
About the podcast guest:
Valerie Anne Arbeau is a physiotherapist as well as a certified health and life coach dedicated to empowering moms of children with disabilities. Valerie has been married to Scott for over 30 years and they have two children, one with visible disabilities and the other with invisible disabilities.
With over 22 years of personal and professional experience, Valerie is dedicated to empowering and supporting parents of children with disabilities. As a Health Life Coach since 2021, Valerie's mission is to guide families in creating a "forever home" for their children, providing a nurturing environment where they can thrive.
Valerie is also an author (The S.H.I.N.E. Principle: The Special Needs Mom's path to Strength, Hope and happiness), podcaster and speaker. She enjoys being a guest on podcasts, conferences and summits, where she encourages moms of kids with disabilities to live with intention, to embrace their journey and to S.H.I.N.E.
Valerie has a bi-monthly podcast “Forever Home for our kids with disabilities” where she shares aspects to consider for creating a forever home for your child with disabilities. Tune in here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227173
Connect further with Valerie via her website here: https://coachingwithvalerieanne.com/, and do remember to book you free call to explore some of the possibilities for your child's forever home.
About the podcast host:
Dr. Marcia Nathai-Balkissoon is a speaker, coach, specialneeds parent, podcaster, author, and strategy lecturer. She runs the Special Needs Parent Podcast because she aims to help special needs parents feel valued, connected, and supported. Please subscribe, and send in your requestsabout topics you'd like the podcast to address.
Join the Special Needs Parent Space (a free communityforparents like us) at https://www.facebook.com/groups/specialneedsparentspace
Get Marcia's Amazon bestselling book, Lighting the Path, at https://books2read.com/lightingthepath
Find Marcia (and many resources to support your specialneeds parenting journey) on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarciaNB8/ and on Instagram @specialneedsparentjourney.
She shares resources and trainings through her Facebookprofile and group, and you'd be welcome to come join.
