Holding the Line: Setting Boundaries for Yourself and Others This Holiday Season

About

OverviewThe holiday season can bring a particular kind of pressure for families caring for a child with medical complexity or navigating life after loss — from well-meaning relatives who don't understand care routines to social obligations that feel impossible to meet. This session brings together a panel of parents, some currently caregiving and some bereaved, to talk honestly about what it looks like to protect your time, energy, and peace during this time of year. Panelists will share how they've learned to say no, to ask for the support they actually need, and to hold firm boundaries with extended family, friends, and even well-intentioned strangers. The conversation will also explore the added layer bereaved parents carry — navigating traditions, invitations, and other people's expectations of grief — while still honoring their own family's story. Join Courageous Parents Network for a candid, supportive discussion offering practical language and permission to protect what matters most this season.

RegistrationRegistration for all practitioners - free

To register for this activity, please click HERE.

CreditsAMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), ACPE Contact Hours (1.00 hours), ANCC Contact Hours (1.00 hours), APA Continuing Education credits (1.00 hours), ASWB Continuing Education (ACE) credits (1.00 hours), CDR Continuing Professional Education Units (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Participation Credit (1.00 hours), Occupational Therapy Contact Hours (1.00 hours), Physical Therapy Contact Hours (1.00 hours)

Target AudienceSpecialties - Adolescent Medicine, Internal Medicine, Oncology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry & Behavioral SciencesProfessions - Fellow/Resident, Non-Physician, Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Pharmacist, Physical Therapist, Physician, Psychologist, Registered Dietitian, Registered Nurse (RN), Social Worker ObjectivesAt the conclusion of this activity, learners should be able to: 1. Explain how holiday-season stressors uniquely affect families of children with medical complexity and bereaved families, including the added burden of unsolicited advice, rigid social expectations, and unmet caregiving needs from extended family and community members. 2. Develop a brief set of talking points that clinical teams can use to proactively open conversations with families about holiday-season concerns. 3. Demonstrate at least two communication strategies, drawn from parent panelists' lived experience, for helping families set boundaries around clinical appointments, care routines, or family visits during the holiday season.

AccreditationIn support of improving patient care, Stanford Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.