Finding Hope For Families of Struggling Adolescents and Young Adults

EVALUATING AND RESEARCHING THERAPEUTIC RESOURCES

There are two distinct aspects to our work. The first component of our work involves evaluating schools and programs across the country. Our training in evaluation and assessment, intensive research on at-risk youth, extensive experience working in both clinical and classroom settings - as well as some first hand experience - provides us with the background to do this work. Throughout our decades in practice, we have assessed over 300 residential treatment centers, psychiatric facilities, therapeutic outdoor experiential programs, drug and alcohol treatment programs, outpatient treatment facilities, learning difference and traditional boarding schools, and other schools and programs. The large majority of these assessments have included in-person tours/visits.

Our goal is to thoroughly understand the schools or programs to which we refer families. We assess the therapeutic framework upon which the school/program is built, the model of treatment, the qualifications of program personnel, the educational and recreational opportunities available - and of course the safety of each program. We attend professional conferences throughout the country in order to stay up to date on new information about education and treatment. This information enables us to determine whether personnel are using “best practices” therapeutically and educationally. Because we work with families for an ongoing period, we are able to stay abreast of changes at schools and programs and also to know and become familiar with the style and methods of individual educators and clinicians. Frequently we refer an adolescent or young adult not only to a specific program but also to a specific therapist.

Please Note: We do NOT accept compensation from any educational institution or program for referrals and we adhere strictly to the ethical standards articulated by our professional organizations, The Independent Educational Consultants Association and the Therapeutic Consultants Association.

ASSESSING THE NEEDS OF THE CLIENT

The second component of our work involves assessing the academic, social, emotional, behavioral and psychological needs of a adolescent or young adult. Our goal is to obtain as holistic a picture as possible. We do this by acquiring a full educational, social and developmental history from parents. We also meet and talk with the young adult (always), and the adolescent (when safe and appropriate).

In addition, we interview people who have known and interacted with the adolescent or young adult across time and context such as therapists, psychiatrists, counselors, teachers, coaches, mentors and other adult family members.

And finally, we review all psychological, cognitive, educational or academic evaluations/testing/reports as well as any other pertinent data provided to us by parents.

VETTING AND IDENTIFYING OPTIONS

Once we determine what level of care is most appropriate for a client, we begin to identify and contact programs across the country to find best-fit options for the family to consider. We provide our aggregated data to prospective programs and work together to determine if their program is indeed the right fit for that particular client at that particular time. We evaluate program match for each client on both a macro level and a micro level.

At the macro level, we are considering licensures and credentials, safety, the types of clients best served, treatment modalities used, psychiatric oversight, the research underpinning the program, programmatic structures, parent services, educational services and approaches, recreational opportunities, location and the quality and layout of the facilities/campus. We also always consider a program’s reputation and are especially well-situated to monitor for that based on our own decades of experience, and because we are in daily contact with hundreds of other referring professionals. At the micro level we are looking at the current make-up of the peer and staff community to assess if the current environment could be supportive to our client. Whenever possible we work to identify specific therapists within the program who could be exceptionally well-suited for our client. We also look for small ways that a program could appeal to a client’s interests and strengths.

PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS AND DECISION-MAKING GUIDANCE

Our goal is to provide parents with hand-picked, vetted recommendations to consider for their adolescent’s or young adult’s areas of need (such as therapists, residential programs, parent supports, schools). For those clients needing the residential path we will acquire clinical pre-approval before providing recommendations to the family, so as not to set them up for disappointment and a frustrating chain of time-consuming declined applications.

Many of our residential clients need to start with a shorter term (2-3 months) stabilization and assessment program. Our services often include initially making recommendations to these more acute levels of care, and then collaborating with those programs to determine next best steps. We then provide parents two or three additional recommendations for lower levels of care, as needed.

We also assist parents in examining their options, asking appropriate questions, and we connect them to specific admissions personnel who already know their case well (through the information we provide) and who can address their concerns and coordinate tours and/or interviews with key staff.

It is important to note that this process, while complex, is not necessarily prolonged. For an adolescent or young adult at very high risk, we can usually provide safe alternatives within 48 hours. For other youth not in immediate crisis, our assessment and recommendations are usually complete in 2-3 weeks.

ONGOING SUPPORT AND RESOURCES

We remain involved as a stake holder as we monitor each case throughout the term of the contract. In the first months of an adolescent’s or young adult’s residential placement, we gather weekly updates from the program, often joining program calls with the parents as a means to further support them, and to make sure we are all gathering the same information. On update calls we are often able to observe or learn about parent struggles and challenging family dynamics. As a result we again can provide hand-picked and appropriate resources. For example, we frequently connect parents to professionals who guide them in doing their own therapeutic work, or who provide new parenting perspectives, and who help them to learn important communication skills to utilize with their adolescent/young adult or co-parent. We also help parents to understand what is a normal part of the treatment journey, and advocate for our clients and parents when programs need to make adjustments or improvements. When needed and possible, we connect parents to other needed resources such as insurance denial advocates, financial resources, interventionists, safe therapeutic transport, therapists for parents and siblings, and parent coaches. When the client is ready to return home, we often help with transition planning and identifying local resources (when possible and for an additional fee) if transition service is desired.

In rare cases, even with all the detailed efforts to identify the very best options, an adolescent or young adult may be asked to leave a program. In some cases, a parent may be unhappy with the service their family is receiving. Under these circumstances, we are at the ready to provide new recommendations so that the adolescent/young adult does not have an interruption in their therapeutic care.