Programs · Women only · Free

Wellness Wednesdays Women’s Support Group

A weekly space for women in the disability community to connect, share and learn, facilitated by licensed therapists and the Maangaar Voices team. Open to mothers, providers, educators, aunties and siblings. Safe, welcoming and judgement-free.

Wednesdaysevery week
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Centraltwo hours
Virtual, on Zoomfrom anywhere
Freealways

Between sessions, our community continues in private WhatsApp and Facebook groups.Email us and we will send you an invitation.

In collaboration with Bridge & Bloom and Hassan Counseling

205registered participants, representing a large number of children with disabilities
Weeklysince November 13, 2024
4countries: women joining from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden
232members in our WhatsApp community, and thousands of followers across our social platforms

What a Wednesday looks like

Two hours that are ours

Caregivers of children with disabilities often experience isolation, burnout and limited access to culturally responsive support. Wellness Wednesdays is a community-centered space for women caregivers, along with allies, siblings, educators, providers and community members, to connect, share experiences and build collective support.

Facilitated discussion
Licensed therapists and Maangaar Voices facilitators hold the space, with community guidelines of respect, confidentiality and listening to one another.
Peer storytelling
Mothers, aunties, siblings and providers share what the week brought. Unplanned themes emerge: case management, elopement, eating, school.
Guest speakers
Clinicians, educators and parents from our own community bring professional expertise and lived experience.
Shared learning
Resources, advocacy and system navigation, informed by University of Minnesota LEND and Partners in Policymaking insights.

Beyond the Zoom room

A village that shows up

Wellness Wednesdays is where the group gathers, but the support does not stop when the call ends.

Healing circles when the community needs them
We have held healing circles during Metro Surge and after community incidents, including the death of an autistic child at school: space to grieve, process and steady one another.
Crisis support in real life
When a caregiver is in need, we come together outside of Zoom, in person: crowdsourced financial support, resources, and help navigating the systems a family is facing.
Leaders growing in our circles
Slowly, more women in the group are becoming leaders who advocate in their family, friend, community and work groups.

Facilitation

Led by therapists, held by the community

Wellness Wednesdays began in November 2024 as a collaboration between Maangaar Voices and Let’s Talk Healing. Since 2025 our collaborator has been Bridge & Bloom, also led by Dr. Abyan Bashir. Going forward, Hassan Counseling, founded by Dr. Ashwak Hassan, joins as a new collaborator from late October 2026.

Dr. Abyan Bashir, LICSW, PsyD
Lead facilitator since the first session · facilitates every other week
Founder of Bridge & Bloom · Founder & Treatment Director, Let’s Talk Healing
A 1.5-generation Somali immigrant and doctoral-level psychologist, Dr. Bashir came to the United States as a child after her family fled war in Somalia. She was the first in her family to earn a college degree, a master’s and a doctorate, working full-time throughout her education.
She earned her doctorate in psychology in 2022, with a focus on trauma, complex trauma and development, and brings over a decade of clinical and community-based experience; her doctoral research explored mental health service use among 1.5-generation Somali-Americans in Minnesota.
In 2015 she launched Let’s Talk Therapy, a Snapchat channel bringing accessible mental health information to Somali and East African communities, and went on to found Let’s Talk Healing, a mental health and ABA services agency committed to culturally responsive care for immigrant and BIPOC communities. She also founded Bridge & Bloom, which guides people toward self-understanding and wholeness through culturally responsive support and hosts the annual Diaspora Mental Health Forum. Through Bridge & Bloom she co-facilitates Wellness Wednesdays with sessions on child development, trauma, neurodivergence, biculturality and caregiver well-being.
- Let’s Talk Healing ↗
- Bridge & Bloom ↗
Dr. Ashwak Hassan, LMFT
Facilitator · joining late October 2026 for the sessions between Dr. Bashir’s
Founder, Hassan Counseling
A Somali clinician, educator and community advocate, Dr. Hassan founded Hassan Counseling to offer culturally grounded, trauma-informed therapy rooted in Somali language and culture.
Her clinical practice focuses on trauma, neurodiversity, and child and family mental health, using play therapy, culturally responsive care and trauma-informed practices. She also provides clinical supervision for clinicians, and works to create spaces of connection, resilience and collective care while challenging stigma and expanding access to mental health support.
- Hassan Counseling ↗

Co-facilitators from Maangaar Voices

Amina Adan
Anisa Hagi-Mohamed
Farhia Said
Najma Siyad
Samsam Mohamed

Guest speakers

Experts from our own community

Sessions bring professional expertise and lived experience into the same conversation.

Safia Mohamed
Mother, Educator
Shared her experience raising her autistic son, now 22, who was nonverbal until age 4 and is now attending university.
November 5, 2025
Dr. Najma Omar & Nafis Omar
OTD, Occupational Therapist · RN, Registered Nurse
Twin sisters and medical professionals from our community who grew up with three autistic siblings. Dr. Najma Omar invented the first sensory hijab and is a former University of Minnesota LEND Fellow.
January 22, 2025
Denise Nieuwenhuis
Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor
Presented on gastrointestinal issues, nutrition and dietary habit change.
Dr. Basima Mohamed
EdD · Neuroeducation Researcher, Storytelling Practitioner
Discussed supporting children through difficult conversations, including mental health and crisis.
Mirad Farah
LPCC, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
Shared expertise on grief, trauma and coping strategies for caregivers.
April 1, 2026
Idil Mohamed
Educator · ASL Interpreter · Founder of Dugsi for the Deaf
Faith Without Barriers: Islamic Learning for Children with Disabilities, with Bridge & Bloom
Advocate for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Somali youth. Teaching Qur’an, salah and duaa in accessible ways, supporting Islamic identity for children with disabilities, and accommodations in the masjid.
April 29, 2026
Dr. Adno Gatah
DNP · Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Culturally responsive pediatric care, health equity and navigating care after a diagnosis
Medical Director at Hi-Gate Urgent Care for Children, triple board-certified, with over 16 years serving pediatric populations. Her DNP dissertation focused on autism in our community.
Be our guest
Would you like to be featured on Wellness Wednesdays as a guest?
Clinicians, educators, parents and self-advocates with something to share with our women are welcome. Please email us.
Email us

Sessions also draw on

University of Minnesota LEND insights and resources
Partners in Policymaking insights and resources
Lived caregiver and community experiences
Psychology and mental health
Child development and psychoeducation
Disability advocacy and systems navigation

Anisa Hagi-Mohamed, in a gold hijab, presents the Wellness Wednesdays research poster at the University of Minnesota.

Research poster · University of Minnesota LEND Program

Community, Culture, and Care: The Wellness Wednesdays Collaborative Model

A community-driven initiative supporting families navigating disability through connection, learning, and shared leadership

Anisa Hagi-Mohamed presented the Wellness Wednesdays model at Research & Innovation Day, McNamara Alumni Center, as part of the University of Minnesota LEND Program. It is important that community-led work like this is documented and shared in academic spaces so that it is recognized, preserved and replicated across organizations in Minnesota and beyond. The poster was accepted into the University of Minnesota’s Digital Conservancy.

Reduced caregiver isolation
Resource sharing between families
Increased confidence navigating disability systems
Peer support networks and lasting friendships
Community-led systems of support

“It is a space of no judgment, full collaboration, and deep care. Over time, we have truly become a village.”
Anisa Hagi-Mohamed, Board Chair

View in the Digital Conservancy Download the poster (PDF)

Impact

In their own words

In March 2026 we asked participants what Wellness Wednesdays had changed for them. These are the themes that came up again and again, followed by their own words, each shared the way she asked to be identified: by name, by initials or anonymously.

Feeling less alone
“The light clicked that I wasn’t alone.” Many mothers wrote that the group was the first place they stopped feeling isolated with their child’s diagnosis.
Sisterhood and friendship
Women described a village: bonds, check-ins between sessions, and a core group of mothers who understand their lived experience.
A safe, judgement-free space
Room to be vulnerable, vent and cry on a hard week, and to share raw emotions without being judged.
Cultural connection and belonging
Support from women of the same culture and faith, on a topic that was once never spoken about, without shame or stigma.
Learning strategies and resources
Practical knowledge for navigating services, schools and case management, plus the sensory and developmental insights of guest speakers.
Confidence to advocate
More confidence and knowledge to speak up for their children and to navigate the systems their families face.
Emotional support in crisis
When a family faced tragedy, the community came together to heal, connect and offer support.
Normalizing mental health
Seeking therapy and talking about mental health, even when not in crisis, became normal in the circle.

The most meaningful moment was when the light clicked that I wasn’t alone. I had a community of sisters with similar life experiences that encouraged me, validated me and affirmed me. That means everything in the world to me.
Farhia SaidParent
A meaningful moment for me was being able to be vulnerable when I was going through a hard time. Wellness Wednesdays created a safe space where I felt comfortable sharing my feelings and experiences. Being supported by other mothers who understand the journey was very powerful.
Yasmin KhalifParent
I was having a really tough time. I vented to the group and cried. The support group rallied around me and supported me through that experience.
KAParent
These group of women have become part of my Wednesday routine. A time that is very dear to me. For years I have felt alone and distant dealing with my first son’s diagnosis. After joining this group, I have learned so much about autism and about my son. A community is what I have gained.
MaryanParent
I was in my first year of getting the diagnosis of my son and I was kind of spiraling, and then I found this group, which has people who were more experienced than me and professionals who helped me emotionally. I feel more grounded. Not lost anymore.
AnonymousParent
Wellness Wednesdays creates a culturally grounded space where families can talk about disability, caregiving and wellness without shame or stigma. It brings education, community support and cultural understanding together, which is especially important for immigrant families.
AACommunity member and aunt
Though I’m new, I felt welcomed and supported from day one. The encouragement, kind check-ins and reassurance have meant a lot, especially during times when I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. Hearing other moms share about their week has helped me feel seen and reminded me that I’m not alone.
MYParent
We have unplanned themed weeks where multiple of us are experiencing the same struggle, whether it is case management, elopement or even eating problems with our child. The session always holds space for those random happenings, and we all collectively give advice or listen in as another parent vents and gains healing.
AnonymousParent
The most memorable moment was when a Somali family encountered a tragedy relative to their child with ASD and the Somali community came together to heal, connect and offer support. That was priceless.
AnonymousParent
Seeking therapy and normalizing mental health even when you are not in crisis is very crucial. The caring environment and collective sisterhood.
NHCommunity member
It’s a service that’s unique: a woman-centred approach, judgement-free zone. I am glad I found Wellness Wednesday, something I looked forward to every week.
AAParent
This is an amazing space and I am very glad to be a witness to such an impactful movement for our families.
Maryam HandullehCommunity member

Have you attended? Take the impact survey and tell us what it has meant to you.

How it grew

From a simple weekly gathering to a village

November 13, 2024
The first gathering
Launched as the Women’s Disability Support Group: a free weekly Zoom circle facilitated by Dr. Abyan Bashir, in a collaboration between Maangaar Voices and Let’s Talk Healing.
December 2024
Four sessions in
Women from across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden, together representing over 50 children, talking through caregiver burnout, navigating school systems and advocacy, and celebrating the joys of parenting and caregiving.
2025
Guest speakers and a name that stuck
Sessions resumed on January 8, 2025 and guest speakers joined through the year. Bridge & Bloom became our collaborator, and after a few name changes the group became Wellness Wednesdays Women’s Support Group.
March 2026
The impact survey
Participants told us what the group had changed for them. Their words are below, shared exactly as each woman asked to be identified.
March 26, 2026
Documented and shared
Anisa Hagi-Mohamed presented the Wellness Wednesdays model as a research poster for the University of Minnesota LEND Program; it is preserved in the University’s Digital Conservancy.
October 2026
Two therapists, two collaborators
Dr. Abyan Bashir facilitates every other week, and Dr. Ashwak Hassan of Hassan Counseling joins for the sessions in between, bringing Hassan Counseling in as a collaborator.

Join us this Wednesday

Register once, then come whenever you can

Registration is for women only. After you register, you will receive a reminder email with your personal link before each session. Bring your questions, your week and your loved ones’ stories.

Men’s group

A support group for men is next

We are preparing a men’s support group. Email us to be the first to hear when it starts, or to ask about joining our WhatsApp and Facebook groups in the meantime.

Email info@maangaarvoices.org →

Wellness Wednesdays Women’s Support Group

Two hours that are ours

Facilitated discussion

Peer storytelling

Guest speakers

Shared learning

A village that shows up

Healing circles when the community needs them

Crisis support in real life

Leaders growing in our circles

Led by therapists, held by the community

Dr. Abyan Bashir, LICSW, PsyD

Dr. Ashwak Hassan, LMFT

Experts from our own community

Safia Mohamed

Dr. Najma Omar & Nafis Omar

Denise Nieuwenhuis

Dr. Basima Mohamed

Mirad Farah

Idil Mohamed

Dr. Adno Gatah

Would you like to be featured on Wellness Wednesdays as a guest?

Community, Culture, and Care: The Wellness Wednesdays Collaborative Model

In their own words

Feeling less alone

Sisterhood and friendship

A safe, judgement-free space

Cultural connection and belonging

Learning strategies and resources

Confidence to advocate

Emotional support in crisis

Normalizing mental health

From a simple weekly gathering to a village

The first gathering

Four sessions in

Guest speakers and a name that stuck

The impact survey

Documented and shared

Two therapists, two collaborators

Register once, then come whenever you can

A support group for men is next