May 2022 Family Links Conference and Resource Fair

We will work on identifying and prioritizing the needs of others and ourselves; discuss the importance of self-care and identify ways to implement it in daily life.

Katie Greene works at the Utah Parent Center as a Parent Consultant for families with children who are Deaf or hard of hearing almost 4 years now and loves every minute of it. Helping families and advocating for their needs is one of her favorite things to do. Prior to working at the UPC, Katie worked as a health and fitness coach for over 8 years.Her two great passions in life are serving families and helping individuals take control of their health. Katie and her husband have five children, one of whom is profoundly Deaf, and all five are the source of her health problems and personal successes Katie lives with five chronic health conditions, which was the motivation for her to become a health and fitness coach. I love being active, reading, watching movies or playing games with my family and traveling.

What does resilience have to do with a rock or a rubber band and parenting?  A LOT!  As parents we want our children with special needs to be better emotionally resilient–to be able to handle life’s ups and downs.  Resilience isn’t inherited, but learned, and knowing resilient skills as parents can help us deal with the challenges of raising children with special needs in a more healthy way!  Come learn scientifically-based techniques that can help you decide which type of resilience is better–a rock or a rubber band!

Heidi Whittaker is the parent of four children, ages 26-17, all with special needs ranging from Autism, ADHD, Depression, Mood Disorders, Anxiety and OCD.  Heidi began first helping parents with resources and information as the Nebo School District Volunteer “Parent Liaison” in 2006 and was later hired by the Utah Parent Center in 2013 as a Parent Consultant serving parents in an official role for Nebo School District.  Heidi says one of her favorite things about her job with the UPC is being surrounded by colleagues and parents in the same “boat,” who have true “empathy” for how challenging it can be to be “rubber bands” when having children with special needs. Heidi’s secret passion is teaching, as she is a retired teacher, so she loves to attend and teach workshops of any kind. She also loves Stax Potato Chips, Yard Sales, and going to Arches National Park with her family. She’s excited to teach about Resilience as it is essential for all parents, especially those who parent children with special needs.

UPC Education Consultant Panel including:

Esperanza Reyes, UPC Associate Director and Ashlie Baker,  Leslie Hansen and Liliam Llanos.  With over 33 years of combined experience assisting and coaching families across the state of Utah with their student’s IEP and other school services needs.