Among Friends

09/29/2025

Too often, people with IDD are overlooked when it comes to conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity. The most recent Among Friends blog post challenges those assumptions and offers practical ways to create affirming, inclusive spaces where every person can be fully seen and supported.

Highlights include:
🩷Breaking down myths and stigma
🧡 Steps caregivers and professionals can take to affirm identity
🩷 Why honoring identity is central to dignity, health, and belonging

💬 We’d love to hear from you:
What’s one thing YOU do (or would like to do) to help create safe, supportive spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals with IDD? Share in the comments below!

People with IDD have often been assumed to be asexual, heterosexual, or cisgender—assumptions that erase their identities, needs, and humanity ( LGBTQ+ People | Intellectual Disability Mental Health Connect , The Arc ).

09/26/2025

Caring for others starts with caring for yourself!

Families, caregivers, and direct support professionals give so much of themselves every day. But here’s the truth we often forget: you cannot pour from an empty cup.

Taking time to rest, recharge, and practice self-care isn’t selfish — it’s essential. When caregivers invest in their own well-being, everyone benefits:
✨ Stress levels go down
✨ Relationships feel stronger
✨ The people we support receive more patience, presence, and energy

🌱 Self-care doesn’t have to be big or expensive. Sometimes it’s as simple as:
🩷 Stepping outside for fresh air
🧡 Saying “no” when your plate is full
🩷 Listening to a favorite song
🧡 Asking for help when you need it

💬 We’d love to hear from our community:
What’s one small act of self-care that helps you feel more grounded?

Your answer might inspire another caregiver today.

09/24/2025

Among Friends is accepting new individuals and families for support for our Washington Postive Support Services!

At Among Friends, we believe every person has the right to safe, healthy, and meaningful relationships. Our Positive Support Services go beyond daily life skills — we help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities navigate the areas that matter most for dignity and belonging:

✨ Healthy Relationships — building trust, respect, and safe boundaries in friendships, dating, and partnerships
✨ Sexuality & Identity — exploring orientation, gender, and expression in ways that are affirming and empowering
✨ Online Safety — learning how to stay safe while connecting online, avoiding risky behaviors, and practicing consent in digital spaces 

We specialize in supporting the whole person through Positive Supports:
🩷 Life Skills service:
individualized advocacy and skills development

🧡 Staff & Family Consultation service:
equipping teams with tools to foster dignity and independence and guide safe, legal, and appropriate behaviors

🩷 Stabilization services:
Life Skills and Staff & Family Consultation services for individuals that are experencing increasing behavioral support needs.

🧡 Specialized Evaluation & Consulation services:
Services for individuals on the community protection waiver to support their safe, legal, and healthy involvement in their communities.

🩷🧡🩷 Private Pay & Other Services:
Reach out to us and we discuss available options!

If you or someone you support could benefit from this kind of supports, we’d love to connect. Together, we can build safer, healthier communities where everyone’s rights are protected.

To begin the process for services, complete the intake form: https://forms.gle/TkJB4hKp4GbSCp4WA

Belonging means more than being included — it means being safe, respected, and empowered.

Thank you for contacting Among Friends, LLC regarding Positive Support Services. We specialize in social-sexual supports for children and adults - everything to do with relationships, sexuality, consent and boundaries, gender identity, sexual orientation, bodies, internet safety, etc. We can provide...

09/24/2025

OCD is more than what most people think.

When people hear “OCD,” they often picture someone who cleans a lot or likes things in order. But for many, the hardest part is intrusive thoughts — upsetting, unwanted thoughts that show up out of nowhere and cause deep anxiety.

🧡 At Among Friends, we believe in bringing understanding where there’s often silence. That’s why our latest blog unpacks:
✨ What intrusive thoughts really are
✨ Why they can feel so overwhelming
✨ How friends, families, and caregivers can support someone without judgment

💭 We’d love to hear from you:
What’s one thing someone has done (big or small) that made you feel supported when you were struggling?

Your answers might give someone else the courage or ideas they need to show up for a loved one.

🩷 Read the full blog! Let’s break the stigma together!

When most people hear “OCD,” they picture color-coded closets or constant hand-washing. But Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is much more than a need for cleanliness or order—it’s a serious mental health condition that can involve deeply distressing, unwanted thoughts.

09/19/2025

💜 September is Self-Care Awareness Month! A reminder that caring for ourselves is not selfish, it’s essential.

At Among Friends, we believe that self-care and healthy relationships go hand in hand. When individuals, families, and staff have the tools to regulate, rest, and recharge, individual’s opportunities for meaningful connections and relationships increase!

Whether it’s practicing coping strategies, setting healthy boundaries, or simply taking a moment to breathe - self-care is the foundation that allows us to show up for one another with compassion and strength.

This month, let’s commit to caring for ourselves so we can better care for each other.

09/05/2025

Among Friends stands with LGBTQ+ youth this Su***de Prevention Awareness Month and always! 🌈
You deserve to stay, be heard, be valued, to thrive, and to belong. 🩷🧡💜
The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

1-866-488-7386 🧡

08/24/2025

Belonging vs. Fitting In

At Among Friends, we believe everyone, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, deserves to feel safe asking questions about relationships, exploring their identity, and receiving the positive support they need around sexuality.

💔 Fitting in can feel like:
🫣 Hiding questions about intimacy
🫠 Feeling shame about your body or desires
🤐 Staying silent to avoid judgment

🫶🏼 Belonging looks like:
🩷 Having safe spaces to ask questions
🧡 Exploring identity, relationships, and sexuality with support
💜 Knowing your differences are celebrated, not silenced

When people can show up authentically, even in the most personal parts of who they are, we all move closer to a world of true inclusion.

What does belonging in relationships and sexuality look like for you or your community?

08/17/2025

Our Washington Positive Supports Program is expanding, and we’re seeking a Positive Supports Specialist to join our team on the west side of the state!!! This role is ideal for someone who thrives on building relationships, empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and creating positive, lasting change.

What You’ll Do:
• Provide life skills support, staff & family consultation, stabilization, and specialized evaluation services.
• Complete required plans, reports, and documentation within state timelines
• Partner with individuals, families, and provider teams to promote inclusion, independence, and stability.
• Maintain accurate documentation and meet billable hour goals.

Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in social work, sociology, psychology, education, child development, gerontology, nursing, or related field.
• At least 1 year of experience supporting individuals with IDD
• Training/certification in crisis intervention & de-escalation
• Comfort discussing sexuality, gender, boundaries, and consent from a developmental perspective
• Strong communication skills, technology proficiency, and reliable transportation

Why Join Us?
At Among Friends, we value authentic relationships, creative problem-solving, and advocacy that sparks real change. You’ll be part of a supportive, collaborative team that believes in meeting people where they are – and walking alongside them toward where they want to be.

How to Apply
Send your resume and a brief statement about why this role excites you to positivesupports.wa@among-friends.org with the subject line: Positive Supports Specialist Application.fhe

08/15/2025

🩷 Supporting Adults with Developmental Disabilities Through Informed Consent 🧡

At Among Friends, we believe every adult with an intellectual or developmental disability deserves the right to make informed choices about their own life, with the right supports in place.

Our latest blog, “Supporting Adults with Developmental Disabilities With Informed Consent” shares practical, compassionate strategies for making informed consent truly possible.

Here’s what you’ll discover:
​🩷 Why capacity is about context, not labels
🧡 How Supported Decision-Making empowers without taking away autonomy
🩷Tips for making information accessible and person-centered
🧡 The importance of “dignity of risk” in personal growth
🩷 How to prevent coercion and ensure choices are truly voluntary

Why this matters:
When we support decision-making with empathy, clarity, and respect, we not only protect rights - we also build self-esteem, independence, and a sense of belonging.

Read the full article here:
https://www.among-friends.org/blog/developmental-disabilities-and-informed-consent

We’d love to hear from you — What strategies have you found helpful in supporting informed consent? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Those of us supporting people who experience intellectual and developmental diversity (disabilities) must learn how to address informed consent in all areas of their lives - including their relationships and sexuality!

08/13/2025

Our latest blog article, “Understanding Autism: Sensory‑Seeking & Sexuality”, invites each of us to consider how sensory needs - especially sensory‑seeking - can shape sexual expression and intimacy for autistic adults.

What does sensory‑seeking look like in a sexual context? It may include stimming, intense forms of touch, or controlled sensory experiences - sometimes even through kink or B**M that emphasize explicit consent and safety. These experiences can offer excitement, pleasure, emotional regulation, and a powerful sense of connection.

Whether you're a practitioner, caregiver, or neurodiverse individual seeking to understand these dynamics, this post offers compassionate guidance and practical tips. Learn why embracing sensory joy matters, how to support safe exploration, and why risk-awareness can empower people rather than shut them down.

Read the full article now: https://www.among-friends.org/blog/sensory-seeking-and-sexuality

Let’s foster understanding, respect, and autonomy. Please like, comment, or share to help spread this valuable perspective. Have questions or experiences to share? We welcome your thoughts!

If you’re supporting a teen or adult who experiences Autism it’s important to understand how their sensory needs might impact and intersect with their sexuality.

08/04/2025

🌟 Supporting the Whole Person – Because Everyone Deserves to Belong 🌟

At Among Friends, we believe that all people – regardless of their disability, the complexity of their needs, or their communication style – deserve access to supports that honor their full humanity.

That’s why our Washington Positive Supports Services are rooted in dignity, safety, and inclusion. We specialize in social-sexual supports and stabilization for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and complex needs — helping people live, love, and thrive in their communities.

Our Positive Support services include:
• Life Skills Development
• Staff & Family Consultation
• Stabilization Supports
• Social-Sexual Education
• Specialized Consultation

These supports aren’t extras — they’re essential. They help individuals maintain housing, jobs, relationships, and well-being.

We also offer Monthly Meet & Greet sessions (2nd Wednesdays & 4th Tuesdays) to connect, learn more, and ask questions. RVSP Now at https://forms.gle/rP7qzvZqiNvwGFt16

🩷 Let’s build a world where everyone is seen, supported, and celebrated. 🧡

Refer someone: https://forms.gle/y3EJQKqfRaQcJaVX9

Learn more: https://www.among-friends.org/washington-behavior-services

Reach us: positivesupports.wa@among-friends.org

08/04/2025

🧡🧡🧡Let’s Talk Healthy Relationships, Sexuality & Disability 🩷🩷🩷
August 6th | 1:00–2:30 PM PT
Online

Everyone deserves relationships that are safe, respectful, and fulfilling — including individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Join Among Friends for an honest and supportive conversation on Healthy Relationships, Sexuality, and Disability. Whether you’re a person with a disability, a family member, or a support provider, this event is for YOU!

✔️ Learn about boundaries, consent, and communication
✔️ Explore the importance of sexuality education for people with ID/DD
✔️ Get tips for supporting safe, meaningful connections
✔️ Ask questions in a safe, judgment-free space

This is about dignity. This is about rights. This is about belonging.
Don’t miss it!

Register Now!!

Live, interactive online session introduces parents, caregivers, educators, and professionals to our rights-based, trauma-informed approach to supporting healthy relationships and sexual development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.