Could you use a night out once a month just to relax and have some fun with other grown-ups (and no children)? Join us on the first Wednesday of every month for our Caregiver Club! We’ll plan something a little different for each month - your ideas and suggestions are always welcome. Light refreshments will be provided. Come out and enjoy a little R&R and make some new friends!
September 3rd - Paint Night
October 1 - Games Night
November 5 - Music Therapy
December 3- Card Making and Crafts
Bethesda wants to put Carousal Players, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and Young Caregivers Association, in our Community Spotlight!
Each of these organizations will deliver a 45- to 60-minute virtual presentation for our Bethesda parents and caregivers, highlighting the programs and services available to families, followed by a Q&A period.
Please indicate which sessions you plan to attend during registration.
Check out who’s in our Community Spotlight this month! It’s Carousel Players! This up-beat, creative organization has been delivering quality theatre to schools right out of Niagara for decades and they continue to inspire and entertain audiences of all ages. Pop in to our Community Spotlight event on Tuesday, October 29th from 6:30-8 p.m. to learn more about this amazing organization and how their programs can benefit our community members. A brief presentation will be followed by a Q&A period. We’ll hope to see you there!
We look forward to shining a light on these organizations!
A four-part, weekly workshop series designed to support parents, caregivers, and youth as they prepare for life beyond childhood! Each workshop will provide practical tools, expert guidance, and insights into the services and supports available during this important transition. Our goal is to help families plan with confidence. Take the next step toward a successful transition to adulthood!
Hosted at Bethesda’s Niagara Family Centre (NFC)
Free to Attend | For Caregivers with Transitional Aged Youth Featuring Guest Speakers from Community Partners Each Week Transition Planning Resources will be provided.
Part 1: Navigating the Transition to Adulthood
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 | 6:00pm-8:30pm Learn about the Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) process of transitioning to adulthood in the community and at Bethesda. This foundational session sets the tone for the remaining workshops!
Part 2: Community Supports & Goal Setting
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 | 6:00pm-8:30pm Do you know for which services your youth is eligible? Find out in this session! We will provide you with the resources you will need to begin customizing your plan and setting goals for your youths future, with the help of Developmental Services Ontario (DSO).
Part 3: Engaging Youth in the Transition Process
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 | 6:00pm-8:30pm
Hear from young adults about their real-life transition experiences. Learn tips on goal setting, advocacy, and self-determination. Youth are encouraged to attend this session with their parent/caregiver.
Part 4: Introduction to Adult Services at Bethesda
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 | 6:00pm-8:30pm Discover Bethesda’s adult services, including Passport funding, day/respite programs, healthcare changes, and guardianship/consent. Learn how to access services as your youth approaches adulthood.
Questions? Contact the team
Caregivers will learn strategies to prepare their child for being off of school and having a different routine during the holidays. Caregivers will also be provided an activity guide with ideas to keep their children busy during the holidays.
Could you use a night out once a month just to relax and have some fun with other grown-ups (and no children)? Join us on the first Wednesday of every month for our Caregiver Club! We’ll plan something a little different for each month: your ideas and suggestions are always welcome. Light refreshments will be provided. Come out and enjoy a little R&R and make some new friends!
Support for Bethesda Parents and Caregivers of Children 8-17 years.
Have you been caring for the needs of others? Do you feel like you've been drowning in your responsibilities? ACT could be the lifeline you've been looking for! Take this opportunity to connect with other parents and caregivers who understand the kind of struggles we face caring for children who have special needs. Reflect on what's important to you and learn how to find more peace and joy in your life. No matter where you are in life, this experiential workshop will move you.
Take this opportunity to connect with other parents and caregivers who understand the kind of struggles we face caring for children who have special needs. Reflect on what’s important to you and learn how to find more peace and joy in your life. No matter where you are in life, this experiential workshop will move you.
Caregivers will learn strategies that can be used to help children fall asleep and maintain a full night’s sleep.
A psycho-educational workshop designed for parents and caregivers of teenagers who are struggling with depression and/or depressive symptoms. This workshop will explore depression from a mental health perspective, highlighting the differences between depression and other emotions such as sadness or grief, as well as the criteria that indicate a potential clinical diagnosis of a depressive disorder or episode. Some basic coping strategies for depression will be shared, as well as providing some general tips for caregivers who are supporting a teen with depression.
This workshop will explore the connection between Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and mental health to highlight why children and youth with FASD are at increased risk for anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and trauma.
Clinicians will introduce the concept of learned helplessness, which is a pattern that develops when repeated challenges and misunderstandings lead to feelings of defeat and reduced motivation, and discuss how it uniquely impacts people with FASD.
The session will offer practical, evidence-informed strategies for caregivers and professionals to support mental health through trauma-informed care, co-regulation, environmental structure, and strength-based interventions that help rebuild agency, resilience, and emotional well-being.
This workshop for parents and caregivers will discuss supporting the siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or other developmental disabilities. Topics will include sibling relationships, how having a sibling with ASD or other disabilities may affect that relationship, and the Glass Child phenomenon. Some general strategies for helping your siblings to find ways to co-exist will be discussed, and additional resources for places to find sibling support will be provided.
If you’ve taken our ACT workshops, either in-person or virtually, you’re invited to reconnect with the friends and the ACT processes that can help to make life feel more meaningful. At our monthly meetings, you’ll rediscover some of the ACT processes and strategies that worked for you, and take a fresh look at the challenges you’re facing to see how they connect with your values. No more being dragged around by your unwanted or unhelpful thoughts!
Turn everyday outings, from doctor’s appointments to grocery shopping, into positive experiences for you and your child. This interactive workshop equips caregivers with proactive strategies to: anticipate and address challenges during community outings, develop personalized plans for a smoother experience, and boost your child’s confidence in new environments.
Why do neurodivergent learners gravitate towards technology usage? Find a balance for your child in the digital age. You will learn positive behaviour strategies to help limit usage, identify some replacement activities, and learn how to reward engaging in other activities and coping with emotional dysregulation when limiting usage.
This workshop helps caregivers reframe how they view and support their neurodivergent youth. Rooted in a strengths-based, affirming approach, From Differences to Strengths explores how understanding neurodiversity and identity through a positive lens can build confidence and strengthen family connection. Participants will learn practical strategies to promote resilience, acceptance, and self-expression, while discovering ways to celebrate their youth’s unique strengths and support their evolving identity, including LGBTQ+ identities. The session also addresses common caregiver challenges with compassion and perspective.
Caregivers will learn strategies on how to support their children if they are dealing with bullying, to identify the difference between bullying and teasing, and how to respond to bullies.
Triple P is a caregiver education course that focuses on causes of misbehaviour, teaching new skills, increasing desired behaviours, decreasing misbehaviour and survival skills for difficult situations. This course is recommended for caregivers new to the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or another developmental disability and/or the science of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). This course is appropriate for caregivers with children aged 0-12 years old.
In this 1-hour virtual workshop teens will learn how to identify and regulate their emotions. They will learn coping strategies to use when they are triggered.
In this 1-hour virtual workshop teens will learn strategies for applying for a job, writing a resume, interviewing, and job readiness skills
Support for Bethesda Parents and Caregivers of Children 2-7 years.
Bethesda3280 Schmon Parkway, Thorold, ON905.684.6918
Bethesda Children's Services3310 Schmon Parkway, Thorold, ON905.684.6918
