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Special Needs Chapter Meeting | Transition Challenges Faced by Parents of Children with Special Needs
February 3 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST
Chapter Meeting
Chapter meetings occur monthly and are facilitated by the chapter leadership. In addition to networking and building relationships, each member has the opportunity to present an NADP ED Talk and provide valuable divorce-specific education to their fellow chapter members.
FamilyKind’s services support families, especially those navigating the often turbulent times around parental separation and divorce. Lesley Friedland and Stephanie Jones will present some of the challenges faced by parents of children with special needs going through a family transition. They will highlight the parenting education programs FamilyKind offers and provide an overview of FamilyKind’s services.
Speakers Bio:
Lesley Ann Friedland is a family law attorney and mediator dedicated to public service. For more than two decades, Lesley served as a Court Attorney and Referee for the NYS Family Court, presiding over custody, visitation, and child protective matters in all five boroughs. While working in the Courts, Lesley helped facilitate the NYS Parent Education & Awareness Program, oversaw the Mediation Department in Kings County, and led the team that developed a program for children of divorce and separation. In March 2012, Lesley left the Family Court and, with a group of like-minded attorneys, mental health experts, mediators, and other seasoned professionals, founded FamilyKind, a not-for-profit organization providing information and supportive services to families experiencing separation and divorce. Lesley currently serves as the Executive Director.
Stephanie Jones, M.S., is FamilyKind’s Director of Parenting Education. She teaches the NYS Certified PEAP Co-Parenting program, serves as an Individual Parenting Education (IPE) Specialist, and is a member of FamilyKind’s core team. With nearly three decades of experience as a parenting educator, Stephanie also owns a family-life consulting business, Just Families.
Ms. Jones holds a master’s degree in human development and family studies with a concentration in family life and parent education, and completed a postgraduate fellowship in infant-parent mental health/early relational health. Stephanie has chaired both the National Parenting Education Network (NPEN) and the North Carolina Parenting Education Network (NCPEN). She lives on the southeastern coast of North Carolina with her family and enjoys time at the beach, hiking, camping, cooking, and reading.