Courageous Parents Network

Website https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/

Events from this organizer

Today

  • Building a Path to Support: Navigating the Stages of Financial Planning

    Financial planning often takes a back seat to the day-to-day caregiver responsibilities. This session will explore ways to develop a long-term financial plan when your child is fully dependent. Additionally, it will help families understand the numerous stages to be considered while developing a special needs master plan for their loved one.

    Presented by Mary McDirmid with All Needs Planning; top considerations they hear and help their clients with include:

    government benefits
    funding their lifetime
    tax efficiency
    insurance
    housing
    employment
    trusts
    ABLE
    estate planning

    All Needs Planning believes that their clients are very capable of doing this planning, the emotional aspect cannot be overstated as the biggest culprit in procrastinating. Understanding how math, emotion and habits intersect is their specialty.

    Free

  • Upcoming: You Can Never Be Too Prepared: Pediatric Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

    Children have unique medical, emotional, and developmental needs during disasters, and preparing to meet those needs is essential for effective response and recovery. This is even truer for children with a serious medical condition.

    This event will provide a platform for learning and sharing best practices to create an actionable plan that prioritizes the safety and care of children in times of crisis. And include action items you can take now as the caregiver to make sure you are always prepared for the unexpected.

    Free

  • The Holidays: Coping Through the Season

    For families of children who had or are living with a serious illness, the holiday season can be a mixed bag—one filled with joy, comfort, and love, but often also anxiety, sadness, and isolation. Holidays can intensify emotions, highlight the passage of time, and remind us of what was or what might never be, making even cherished traditions feel bittersweet. At the same time, they can offer opportunities for connection, reflection, and new ways of finding peace or joy through adapted rituals and shared experiences.

    Anticipating the holidays often brings its own emotional weight, but through honest conversation and mutual support, families can prepare for and navigate the season with greater understanding.

    Join members of the Network in a moderated discussion about the complex emotions that accompany significant days, strategies for coping, and the power of ritual and connection during the holiday season.

    Free

  • Unlocking Answers: What Every Parent Should Know About Genetic Testing

    Genetic testing can play a powerful role in helping families find answers about their child’s health. In this session, we’ll walk you through the different types of genetic tests, what they can (and can’t) tell you, and how they’re used to diagnose a wide range of conditions. We’ll also talk about how re-checking genetic data over time can lead to new insights and better outcomes. Finally, we’ll explore how ongoing efforts are making genetic testing more available and more useful for families from all backgrounds.

    Free

  • Building Bridges, Breaking Down Walls: Transforming Conflict in the Care of Medically Complex Children

    Conflict often emerges when navigating the medical, emotional, and relational complexities of caring for medically complex children. This session examines why conflict happens, how it escalates or de-escalates, and introduces practical approaches for transforming conflict in ways that preserve relationships, honor diverse perspectives, and center what matters most.

    This event will take place on Monday, April 13th at 8:00 pm ET (7:00 pm CT, 6:00 pm MT, 5:00 pm PT).

    Learning objectives:

    Identify common sources of conflict when caring for medically complex children, including differences in values, goals, communication patterns, and perspective.
    Recognize the dynamics that escalate or de-escalate conflict, including the role of power, trust, communication dynamics, and emotion.
    Explore approaches for navigating conflict in ways that honor relationships, create space for difficult conversations, and focus on what matters most.

    Please see below for continuing medical education (CME/CEU) credit information.

    Free

  • Upcoming: A Screening of Shared Struggles

    Courageous Parents Network believes that the care of children living with serious medical conditions is a shared enterprise between parents and pediatric clinicians. Both want what’s best for the child and family and bring their respective values, priorities, and expertise to that work. CPN exists at this intersection, creating programs and resources designed to foster mutual understanding, confidence, and compassionate partnership.

    In that spirit, we are delighted to host a Zoom screening of Shared Struggles, a documentary featuring three sets of parents and three physicians speaking candidly about their experience working with, educating, and learning from each other. The film is an extension of the book by the same title.

    The screening will be followed by a facilitated panel conversation featuring a parent and physician from the film alongside other parents and pediatric physicians — exploring from lived experience what it takes to function well together, (re)define Hope, and advance the well-being of everyone in the caregiving enterprise. Panel participants are listed below.

    For parents, this event honors the depth of your experience—the uncertainty, resilience, and fierce advocacy that define your role. For clinicians, it offers you a deeper understanding of that lived experience, honors your commitment to families, and elevates the opportunity to partner more meaningfully. For both, it calls us to be curious, to recognize families as essential leaders in the caregiving experience, and to together transform the care experience – as it is delivered and as it is received.

    Registration is required. The screening and panel discussion are available only to those who attend the ZOOM ‘in-person’ on June 30. A recording will not be shared later.

    Free

  • Upcoming: Integrated Medical and Behavioral Approaches to Pediatric Sleep Disorders

    Join CPN for an informative discussion on sleep in medically complex children, featuring Dr. Pinar Polat, Katherine Wesley, PhD, DBSM, and two parent caregivers. This session will cover topics such as sleep-disordered breathing, circadian disruption, and insomnia as they relate to chronic illness and neurodevelopmental differences. In addition, the conversation will address the impact of sleep disruptions on caregivers, offering practical coping strategies to support both child sleep and parent well-being.