What is the secret to making your marriage special while also parenting a child with special needs?
Approximately 10 percent of individuals within the general population have a disability. Now, with the rise of certain disabilities like autism disorders, many couples are parenting special needs children. In those instances, making your marriage special can be more like a chore. When so much extra time and energy is put into taking care of a child with special needs, what ends up happening to the marriage?
Becoming a parent for the first time is a challenge and usually involves a degree of adaptation. For parents with a special needs child, however, adaptation can be much more difficult. These parents must learn to adjust to the unique and sometimes scary path of raising a child with a disability. And with the many extra demands that it places upon parents as individuals, having any time to work on the marriage might seem impossible.
Our guest today is Dr. Barbara Lowe-Greenlee, a licensed psychologist with Greenlee Psychological & Support Services in Chapel Hill, NC. She works to help families with special needs children succeed and thrive despite the tough challenges they face. To find out more about Barbara and her practice, visit her website or call (919) 824-5743 to make an appointment.
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Is your marriage strong enough to endure the challenges of autism?
Living with a family member on the autism spectrum can make communication difficult. Whether it’s your spouse, your child or yourself, trying to break through the communication barrier to have a fulfilling relationship can be so taxing that it takes away from other family relationships. In many cases, families’ lives begin to revolve around the needs of just one person – and then, everyone suffers.
Adults begin to feel isolated from one another because they’re suffering from guilt, stress and grief. When the special needs family member is a spouse, feelings of isolation can become even more extreme – and can even lead to divorce in some cases.
How do you move past these challenges to lead a happy, fulfilling life? Is it possible to salvage a relationship that’s been eroded by years of difficult struggles?
Abbe Colodny is an outpatient therapist with Therapeutic Partners in Raleigh, NC. Abbe received her Master’s in mental health counseling and has extensive experience in diagnosing and working with those with autism and other developmental delays. Abbe has used her specific training and experience to work with individuals, couples and families struggling with autism.
To find out more about Abbe Colodny and her practice, Therapeutic Partners, you can visit their website or call 919-233-7360 for an appointment.
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Did you grow up dreaming of the day that your life would turn into an episode of The Brady Bunch? Probably not.
Blended families – those with children from previous relationships – are becoming the norm. That means more and more people are facing the challenges of being a step parent every day, and many of them are completely unprepared.
Many people are now entering into a marriage scenario where one or both partners have children from a previous relationship. Drawn in by love, these new step parents are not considering how becoming a step parent will affect them emotionally, financially or psychologically. On top of that, unrealistic expectations about step parenting often leave people disappointed, worried and in constant turmoil – The Brady Bunch is hardly a realistic portrayal of a blended family, especially if you try to apply it to today’s busy households and lifestyles.
Dr. Ka Rae’ Carey is a licensed professional counselor who specializes in helping individuals, couples and families adjust to changes in the family unit – especially in step parent/stepchild situations. Dr. Carey uses both her extensive education and her personal experience as a stepmother of two to help others deal with the drama, trauma and chaos of stepfamily life.
To find out more about Dr. Ka Rae’ Carey and her Cary, NC based practice, Strong Stepfamilies, you can visit their website at or call (919) 454-7857 for an appointment. Click here for your free download of Dr. Carey’s 70 Terrific Tried-and-True Tips for New Stepparents.
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