Being connected to the people we love is critical to our emotional and physical well-being. Many people experiencing services are sick from loneliness. This workshop is about ideas for moving beyond interventions and coverage to a system that supports enduring, freely chosen relationships. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will have developed knowledge in the following areas:

• The impact of loneliness in the lives of people who experience disabilities, particularly as it relates to difficult behaviors;
• The importance of going home to the people we love as an important organizing strategy for helping people to develop relationships;
• Strategies for helping people who are lonely to develop enduring, freely chosen, positive relationships;
• Problem-solving strategies for times when relationships are unbalanced or slow in developing.

Free for participants from southwestern PA, $10/per person for participants outside of the region.