TIES THAT BIND
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LYNCHBURG PARKS & RECREATION
In March 2019, Lynchburg Parks & Recreation began the first day of Sibshop training.
Bellevue, Washington, the Sibling Support Project is now part of the Kindering Program, an organization that provides education and therapies to special needs children. Emily Holl, director of Sibling Support Project, says, “Traditionally, there haven’t been a lot of support services for siblings the same way that there are for parents.” She adds that research shows sibling experiences parallel parent experiences, “and brothers and sisters have many, if not most, of the same concerns as parents of children with special needs.” However, fewer opportunities exist for typically developing brothers and sisters to connect. To date, there are nearly 500 Sibshops throughout the United States and in eight other countries. Observing the Program Kelsey Laubach, community recreation programmer for Lynchburg 48 Parks & Recreation
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Parks & Recreation, first discovered Sibshops when she was in college working on her master’s degree in therapeutic recreation. One of her professors had completed the Sibshop training, and a friend, also trained as a second-generation facilitator, was now running Sibshops in Oshkosh and Appleton, Wisconsin. Laubach decided to visit her friend and check out her Sibshops. “Just seeing my first one, I was hooked right away,” she recalls. “They were amazing! They gave the children an opportunity to discuss what was going on in their family, how they were feeling, and it was with other kids who knew exactly what they were going through.” She says the second Sibshop featured a “Date with My Dad” theme. The children then had a chance to talk directly to their parent and share their feelings. Some
talked about having their needs met second or constantly having to adjust because their sibling needed something else, while others discussed how they felt having to always go to the hospital instead of hanging out with friends. As for the dads, Laubach says, “It was really hard for them to hear, but at the same time, it was really important [that they did] and just take that afternoon and spend time with their child.” Laubach’s experience in Wisconsin inspired her to visit the Sibling Support Project website to look up the nearest Virginia-based Sibshop. “I discovered that the closest one following this program was more than two hours away, which is a lot to ask of a family…,” she notes. Recognizing a need for a Sibshop in her community, Laubach contacted Holl at Sibling Support Project during fall of 2018 to learn how she could launch a program in Lynchburg. Holl recalled her conversation with Laubach, who, she says, “was just waiting to find the right opportunity in her own professional journey to be able to offer Sibshops, because she was so impressed by the model and really thought it would be a great service to families.” Sibshop Comes to Lynchburg Holl led the first day of Sibshop training in Lynchburg by providing an overview of the program and its origins. Those in attendance included Laubach and Rachel Smith, Lynchburg’s community recreation programmer — both first-generation facilitator trainees — and 18 other participants, including Re-