Community Resources for Families with Special Needs: Counseling and Support

SafeCare is an evidence-based, in home skills training program for pregnant mothers and caregivers of children under the age of 5. Service providers come to the family’s home and can provide 2 hours of support per week for up to a year.

The Mental Health Association of Oklahoma has a number of free support groups. Each of their support groups is led by a trained facilitator but the real power of their groups is getting to interact with other people impacted by mental illness or similar situations.

Array of Hope is a multi-disciplinary team approach offering behavioral and medical services who may have a neurodiverse diagnosis. Licensed psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, registered dieticians, licensed speech pathologists, behavioral health therapists, care coordinators, and others are part of the Array of Hope team.

Best Buddies’ One to One Friendship program fosters one-to-one friendships between individuals with and without IDD. In this time of heightened social and emotional development that can be difficult even for teenagers without IDD, the Best Buddies friendship program helps break through social barriers at an important time in a young person’s life.

Best Buddies’ Leadership Development programs represents one of their organization’s four key mission pillars.  The programs educate and empower people with and without IDD to become leaders, public speakers and advocates.

Gilead Counseling Services provides services to those from a diverse backgrounds and culture. We have providers that speak many languages including, Burmese, Spanish, Falam, Zopau/Zomi, Hindi and English.

Sibshops offers monthly workshops to shine the spotlight on the siblings of those with disabilities. When living in the shadow of a sibling’s disability, the other siblings may feel the need to grapple for attention and self-identity. Out of necessity parents often spend more time and focus on the child with special needs, and their siblings must learn to navigate the complex feelings this may cause.

COPES is Oklahoma’s only 24-7 free mobile crisis program serving adults and children in psychiatric crisis, in addition to offering other, non-emergency supports.