Empowering special needs parents through self-care.
Empowering special needs parents through self-care.
Full Cup Caregiver is focused on empowering special need parents through better self-care practices.
The information shared on this website is not meant to replace professional help. It is designed to educate, share personal experiences, offer suggestions and to let you know you are not alone.
Parents and caregivers of children with disabilities looking to take better care of themselves in the process.
Special Focus on Behavioral Disorders and Mental Illness
Many of the resources on Full Cup Caregiver focus on the unique challenges and circumstances involved in raising children, teens, and young adults with challenging behaviors, emotional disabilities, behavioral disorders and/or mental illness.
Full Cup Caregiver focuses on empowering special need parents and caregivers through better self-care practices as they meet the daily challenges of raising children with unique needs.
Full Cup Caregiver is designed provide a safe and encouraging environment.
I hope to share knowledge and actionable steps that I have learned and am still learning in my journey.
In both my parenting and professional caregiver roles, I often feel as if I am running on empty. By the time I am done caring for others, there is little left for me.
This is not a unique feeling. I have had to learn (and relearn) to prioritize my self-care.
Often, when raising children with behavioral and/or mental health issues, it can feel as if our cup is constantly being emptied. Or spilled on the floor! Or as if it has a hole or two in the bottom!
It is essential that we care for ourselves even during the most challenging times. Especially then!
This can be a very real challenge!
I view self-care as an ongoing practice. It is more than just bubble baths and massages. That would be easy! Sometimes it is hard, or small, or mundane. Sometimes it is making tweaks to how you are caring for your child so that you can also better care for yourself.
I hope the resources you find on Full Cup Caregiver will help you take better care of yourself and your loved one.
I am a single/only parent of three children. Two of my children have behavioral disorders and mental illness. The first diagnosis for both occurred before Kindergarten. One is now in middle school and the other in high school. My oldest child is neurotypical and is in high school.
I also have a Master’s degree in speech-language pathology. I have been working as a speech language pathologist focusing on special populations since 2004. I have experience working with children with a wide range of behavioral disorders, emotional disabilities and autism. Caregivers in this capacity also need to prioritize their own self-care.
I hope the resources found here will lighten and brighten the journeys of other caregivers.
