Our Onboarding Process and Contracts

Inquiry Call

Each prospective client begins with a free inquiry call with our intake specialist. The goal of the call is to give the interested family member(s) an opportunity to learn a bit about our team, our process, our fees, how we might be able to help, and to answer questions. It is also a time for us to gather some basic details about the adolescent or young adult who is struggling. If and when the prospective client is ready to move to the next step, a formal virtual intake meeting is scheduled with one of our therapeutic consultants, and parents are asked to complete a brief online Intake Form.

Intake Meeting

The intake meeting is a flat rate and is typically 2-3 hours long. The purpose of this meeting is to gather chronological information about the adolescent or young adult through each age and stage of development. While we certainly focus much of this time learning about the young person’s past and current challenges, we are also very interested to learn about their strengths, interests and passions. We delve into topics related to that young person’s mental and medical health, emotional presentation, traumatic events, healthy and unhealthy coping skills, challenging or unhealthy behaviors, social skills and choices, substance use history, family relationships, cognitive profile, learning differences, academic strengths and struggles, and any relevant genetic predispositions. We also discuss what services, resources, schools and efforts have already been tried or accessed, and what has and has not been helpful. We will want to learn about the hopes, goals, needs and preferences of the parents and/or young person, and to address any specific constraints or concerns related to the placement process.

At the end of the intake meeting the therapeutic consultant will be able to provide preliminary impressions about the types of services and resources that may be most helpful and appropriate to explore for the adolescent or young adult, as well as for the parents. We can provide perspective and insight into the severity of the adolecent or young adult’s struggles based on our own experience and knowledge, and how best to provide safety for the young person while difficult decisions are made. We will walk the prospective client through what to do next if and when they are interested in signing on for our services. This meeting is NOT a time to discuss specific program or service recommendations, as that comes after our very thorough contracted process. (Please see OUR PROCESS page for more information). Our intention is that this meeting provides a sense of hope and support to parents and/or the young person, knowing that they have a team of professionals at the ready to provide the support and care needed to make well-informed and thoughtful decisions.

Our Contracts

Our current contract lengths, pricing, and structures reflect and respect our team’s work and expertise. While we provide ongoing case management throughout a client’s contract, the majority of our contract hours are spent in the first months and at times of transition. We use a web-based electronic system for our contracts, onboarding, and client document organization.

Therapeutic Placement Contract:

  • 6 months
  • Up to 40 hours of service (as described in Our Process)
  • Can include multiple placements and many recommended resources/supports
  • Secondary 6-month Therapeutic Placement Contract can be added on as needed
  • Pricing discussed on the Inquiry call; sample provided following the Intake Meeting

Local Support Contract (for Western Washington families)

  • 3 months
  • Up to 20 hours of service
  • Can include local recommendations for both educational and therapeutic placements/supports
  • Can be a stand-alone contract or used following a Therapeutic Placement Contract
  • Secondary 3-month Local Support Contract can be added on as needed
  • Pricing discussed on the Inquiry call; sample provided following the Intake Meeting