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Navigating Childcare, Trust, and Advocacy

Support for Parents of Children with Diagnoses
Starting Aug 06, 2026 11PM UTC

About this Session

Finding childcare can feel overwhelming, especially when your child has specific needs. It’s not just about who is available, but who understands your child and where trust can begin to take shape.

Many parents are navigating decisions around family, seeking support outside their immediate circle, and learning how to work with schools, doctors, and other institutions. These choices often come with uncertainty and the pressure to get it right.

This session creates space to talk openly about what it means to trust others with your child, where that trust feels steady or fragile, and how you advocate when your child’s needs aren’t fully understood.

In this session, we will explore questions like:

  • Do you trust your child with family, and what shapes that trust?

We hope you leave this session feeling less alone in these decisions and more grounded in your own instincts as a parent.

About this Space

Come to a Space where you don't have to hold it together.
Parenting asks a lot of us. It often asks us to put our children’s needs, and sometimes even their wants, ahead of our own. It stretches our endurance, our patience, and our resources. When you add a diagnosis on top of what parents are already carrying, it can feel impossible.

Between care teams, doctor appointments, therapies, and illnesses, it can feel hard to find the capacity to even keep the dishes clean. We don’t just need a village. We need a whole city. This Space exists so parents can pause, be honest, and feel held by others who understand this kind of weight.

We can’t pour from an empty cup. Here, we practice staying full enough to keep going, together.

Low Pressure, Low Commitment
We know your energy and availability can change day to day. Join as you are, when you can. Seats are limited, so we ask that you release your spot at least four hours before the session if you’re unable to attend.

Community-Driven Support
This is not a therapy group or a medical support group. It’s a shared space for parents to connect on a human level. Our trained Keepers ensure everyone has time to speak and be heard. We do not fix, analyze, or advise. We listen, reflect, and hold space together.

A Note on Medical Advice
This Space is not for giving medical advice or directing others’ care. You are welcome to share your own experiences, but we do not tolerate pressuring others to follow a specific path. Every family has their own care team, and we honor the fact that no two journeys look the same.

A Safe and Confidential Environment
What is shared here stays here. Our digital platform is secure, and this Space is built on trust, care, and mutual respect.

What We Discuss
We talk about the realities of parenting through diagnosis: fear, grief, resilience, exhaustion, love, and hope. Topics are shared before sign-up to ease anxiety around joining. If you don’t see a topic that resonates, you’re always welcome to reach out with suggestions.

Who Is This Space For?
This Space is for parents and caregivers raising children with CP and other complex developmental or medical diagnoses. All family structures, identities, and experiences are welcome. Shaming, fixing, or forced opinions are not tolerated. Our intention is to create a place where parents feel seen and supported.

When and How Do We Meet?
We meet digitally every two weeks. Cameras are optional. You’re welcome to join from wherever you are, as long as you’re able to be in a semi-private space or use headphones to help maintain confidentiality.

Meet the Keeper

Hi, I'm Heather. I currently reside in the mountains of North Carolina where I split my time working for Totem and running a dessert company. Prior to living in North Carolina, I spent six years in Chicago where I founded a non-profit aimed at bridging the gap between people and …

Reach out to the Keeper: heather@totem.org
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