Help For Parents: Celebrate Calm

I want to help spread the word about a wonderful parenting resource called Celebrate Calm.

Our family was first introduced to Celebrate Calm last fall when my son’s occupational therapist recommended we attend a seminar here in Austin. It took quite of a bit of effort to get there, but I am SO glad we did.

Celebrate Calm was created for families with what founder Rick Martin describes as “intense kids”: high-functioning special needs kids with diagnoses like ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, bi-polar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and sensory processing disorder. Martin was a family therapist for a number of years before admitting the “normal” parenting advice he prescribed in his practice wasn’t actually working in his own home. (Martin has a son with Asperger’s.)

Martin’s son Casey—who is now 16-years-old—actually joins him onstage. I loved being able to get inside Casey’s head, as well as watch their father-son dynamic son live. The advice they give is so beneficial on a philosophical, as well as a practical, level. I’m not normally a note-taker, but I literally ran out of room on my worksheet because I was writing down so much. And I kept thinking that what they were sharing was useful for parenting not only my special guy, but my typical kids as well.

For a list of upcoming seminars around the country, click here. Typically the seminars themselves are free, and then CDs of extended material are available for purchase. Martin also provides ongoing “tele-courses” you can access from anywhere, as long as you have a computer modem.

One awesome, free resource available to everyone is Martin’s weekly Celebrate Calm email newsletter. It always seems to arrive in my inbox at just the right time! I highly recommend signing up for it here.

Facebook users can also become a fan of Celebrate Calm here.