Dear parents, we at the Israel Multiple Sclerosis Society, are currently organizing special workshops designed for you – parents and children.

Over time, the Society has acquired extensive experience in leading support groups and special workshops designed for people with MS, both young and old, at various levels of functioning, as well as for their spouses, parents and families.

We are aware that in recent years even small children have been diagnosed with MS. Therefore, we will hold in parallel a workshop for parents and a workshop for children with Multiple Sclerosis.

• The Parents’ workshop sessions are designed, among other things, for getting acquainted, listening, supporting, encouraging and sharing. The sessions offer a safe place to raise questions and difficulties, to listen respectfully, and to jointly seek answers and solutions. The workshop topics are open and flexible, as per the participants’ requests.
• The group facilitator is Osnat Sheizaf, a social worker with an MA, Group facilitator, and the Social Work Team and Support Groups Director at the Israel Multiple Sclerosis Society, who is a seasoned professional in this field.
• The dogtraining workshop was presented by two dog trainers due to the large number of children. There were 2 Workshops for children:from 6 to 10-year-oldAnd workshop for 11 to 15-year-old.

During the workshop, the children learnt to communicate with the dogs and train them, as well as communicate freely with each other and share their experience including their illness, hospitalizations, medication, and feelings.

At the end of the workshop, theyperformeda training show for their parents, who took part in a parents workshop in the adjacent room, theyreceived a young trainercertificate, and a photo album of the workshop.

All the children requested an additional workshop.

For now, we are analyzing the results of the parents and children workshops and we will decide accordingly.