Without treatment, transferring colleges won't save a student!
As much as I would like to subscribe to the mindset that not every college is a good fit for every student, I also subscribe to the school of thought around “don’t send them to college if they aren’t going to succeed.” How can we guarantee success, you ask? Well, there certainly is not single best answer. Each student is different, as are their needs. What I can guarantee to you though is that switching them from one college where they flunked and helping them be admitted into another college without getting any help in between is a sure fire way to not guarantee success.
Let me make sure I understand your situation: you paid for two full semesters for your young adult to attend an elite school where they flunked both semesters, walking away with zero credits. And instead of seeing this as a red flag, you’re hiring a college consultant to help them transfer to another university. Do I have the story? If it is, forgive me for being somewhat confused. Confused like the emoji on your iPhone with the hand on the chin and a bewildered facial expression. Why would I reference that? To me, it seems like a lot of money being spent on a student who either has mental health concerns, substance abuse, or executive functioning deficits. Hell - maybe they just don’t even want to be in college! Maybe there was a recent trauma that has driven them to being isolated in their room. Maybe they had an IEP in high school but thought they could “do college” without accommodations. Whether it be anything related to college capital, or even parental pressures, this student really ought to not be in college right now. I mean, am I right? Or am I right?
This is the very thing I co-presented on at IECA in May 2019. I want Educational Consultants to stop and think about the story behind the failures. Helping them transfer their young adult to another college is sweeping any issues they have under the rug. And when the parent tells you not to mention that they attended another institution, stop right there. Professionally do not say another word. Where is the pitted feeling in your gut? Are you not hearing, thinking, feeling, seeing that something about this experience may be unethical? Or even that maybe it’s a tragic ending for this young adult? Even without a clinical degree, most people could tell that something might be wrong with that student. Right?
Act as a detective to gather information about what happened with this student. Ask, what supports did the student seek out for help (it might be safe to say “none”). Ask, how they felt about their academic performance. Ask them about whether or not they made friends! Truly, let’s get to the bottom of whether or not they even want to go to class, take accountability for their experience, or are suffering from extreme social anxiety.
There’s a literary masterpiece I like to talk about when I hear of an experience like this. You may be familiar with it.
“I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But, it isn't my fault.
It still takes me a long time to get out.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in. It's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault. I get out immediately.
walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
I walk down another street.”
―Portia Nelson, There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery
You may not care to know this, yet I’ll still tell you. When I worked in higher education and I had a student in my office utterly oblivious to their cognitive distortions about being better academically because they were willing it (not because they were doing anything differently from before), I would ask them to read this poem. Out loud. And then ask them to reflect on what they thought the poem meant. I held up a metaphorical mirror in front of them. Those words didn’t come from my mouth, but I was able to help them process their situation once that light bulb went off. Note: I was not vindictive towards my students. A health dose of experiential Reality Therapy through goes a long way.
We as professionals working with young adults either getting them to college or helping them when they fall in college, need to halt in our tracks. We are perpetuating more failure for a young generation of individuals with little to no resiliency. When they fail, they isolate or self-medicate. They return home to sleep in the basement. They can’t separate themselves from what they did, so the shame in their higher education experience is so thick it’s hard to swallow. Switching colleges does nothing, especially if there is no moment of reflection on what happened. And if the parents are steering the ship for a new college with the specific request to “forget last year never happened,” we are truly doing a disservice to a younger generation that needs to take ownership, accountability, and needs to learn self-advocacy.
As an industry, let’s help these young adults walk down a different street. Let’s stand up to the parenting generation that still subscribes to the idea that college is the way to be successful, and that getting treatment for mental health and/or substance abuse is something to be ashamed of. We are allowing these parents to walk their young adults right into that black hole in the sidewalk. Let’s open our eyes. The time to stop this is now!
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
August is National Wellness Month
I’m not one to typically post about a themed month, yet this one strikes close to home. Wellness has been a priority for me recently, as I have gone through a lot of changes in my personal life. Truthfully, there are areas where I really feel “unwell” and depleted. With August also being my birthday month, I figured I definitely out to write about this.
When you think of ‘wellness’ the first thing that probably pops up is ‘physical wellness.’ But physical wellness is only one of eight domains when it comes to overall wellness. I used to love teaching wellness to my college students! They were often flummoxed in realizing that they weren’t ‘well’ because they were struggling in one or more domains that they didn’t know existed.
Let’s break it down. What are the Eight Domains of Wellness?
Physical Wellness
For me: Exercising daily (yoga, running, dance, etc.), sleeping 8+ hours, eating health foods (cutting out sugars)
Emotional
For me: See a Therapist, practice stress management techniques, intentionally practice acceptance and forgiveness
Intellectual
For me: Read(!), appreciate art (attend a First Friday walk), take a course and/or learn something new
Social
For me: Cultivate healthy attachments/relationships, community involvement (maybe volunteer?), Share my food preservation skills by teaching someone to waterbath can
Spiritual
For me: Seek harmony by being present with others and allowing them to be their authentic selves, practice meditation daily (even just 5 minutes), and seek alone time for reflection (i.e. hike 14ers)
Environmental
For me: Reduce, reuse, recycle (imagine Jackson Johnson singing!), intentionally conserve water or another resource.
Occupational
For me: Be open to change by learning new skills, explore career options (although I love my job!)
Financial
For me: create a budget and stick to it, strategize business expenses that will have at least one return on investment; and seek out at least one free event each week for “fun”
I’ll add the bonus of an 8th domain in being ‘financial.’ In this day and age, most people are struggling with their financial wellness - myself being one of them! I wrestle with feeling ashamed about his. At my age, I tell myself I should be in a different place. Sadly, that punishing thinking won’t get be anywhere but beating myself up and with no change in the financial situation.
In the end, wellness is a holistic idea. If we are struggling in one area, we may be overcompensating in another. Either way, we find ourselves stuck in a cycle of not being our best selves. I desperately want to be better, healthier, and ‘well.’ And when I say “I’m well,” I want to actually mean it. Not because I’m geeking out on the domains, but because I am truly in-touch with my well-being. I am actively working hard at better healthier and happier.
With it being my birthday month, and the start of yet another circle around the sun, I want to sit and reflect on this past year. I have made many new friends, both personally and professionally. I have made it through several anticipated and unanticipated transitions, all the while launching a business. I have been challenged beyond my wildest dreams on what it means to be exhausted, poor, and still holding on to a vision and dream. I know this year will bring more opportunities for me to focus on my well-being. I will express gratitude more, and try to expect less. I will see a Therapist more. I will work harder on myself, as well as my business. Every day is a new day. This month marks me being just one year older, and I feel it. Yet I want to also feel more grounded - in myself personally, and my work professionally. I look forward to spread the wellness love with everyone who I cross paths with this month and year!
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
What it means to be the "High Country" Consultant
Some of you may know this and others may not, that I spend a lot of my time in the Gunnison Valley area in Colorado. Of course, I still split my time because of clients, networking, and trainings but I mostly hang my hat in the mountains. As I’ve gotten older I can’t completely handle the extreme heat that looms over Denver in the summer months. So I’ve been retreating to the mountains, and that’s where I’ll always call myself “home.”
What I’ve learned rather quickly in being here is that mental health and substance abuse resources are slim. Like, very slim. The resources available to young people on the Front Range are abundant, whereas down here it’s practically non-existent. Although locally folks are trying to provide the resources that these young people need, they may not realize that some additional resources are at their finger tips.
It’s important to note that although I’m in Gunnison, to my knowledge, I’m the only Therapeutic Consultant on the entire Western Slope. A lot of my colleagues who live in Denver and Boulder can work with families on the Western Slope, yet none of them are experiencing the true mountain culture. For those of you reading this, it’s a completely different life down here. The Front Range is like a completely different country.
If you are working with families or know of families who may need the support of a Therapeutic Consultant, don’t hesitate to share my contact information. Often times local resources just aren’t enough. I travel the world to visit programs that could be a good resource for the families I work with. And on the map I may a few miles away as the crow flies, I’m also hours away crossing several mountain passes. Thankfully I have cell phone service where I live. I am able to speak with families in the High Country (Durango, Telluride, Grand Junction, Aspen, Steamboat, Dillon) - just as I am able to speak with the families I work with in Denver, Boston, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. I understand the harsh winters here. I also moved here because I love winter! I understand how high altitude can impact the brain. I understand how someone can have embarrassment and worry for getting treatment for mental health in a small rural community. Just because we’re further away from a major airport doesn’t mean we are future away from needing the same resources as those who live in an urban area.
I just wanted to speak up about being here. I’m local. I’m not going anywhere. I want to help local families; in Gunnison and across the entire Western Slope. Every family needs to know what resources are available. It’s time you knew I was around.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
The same ol’ story
No matter where I travel, which program I’m visiting, or the person I’m meeting with I seem to keep getting the same story. No, I’m not minimizing anyone’s experience. What I’m highlighting is a theme – a alarmingly obvious one that no one seems to be talking about. Good thing you’ve got me to share my findings with you!
You see, being a Therapeutic Consultant who only works with Young Adults really has it perks. Even more so, detailing my own journey as to how I came to be a Consultant by way of my work in higher education really seems to light up some folks when I talk with them. When I specifically talk about the moment the light bulb started to go off for me, I can almost guarantee in that moment based on the non-verbals of the person across from me if I’m describing their collegiate experience. The slow-creeping smile on the person’s face barely hides their excitement in wanting to blurt out “that was me as a student!” I love it! Not because the encountered a lot of adversity, but because they get the work I’m doing. The get why I came into this space.
My work included coaching students who were on academic probation. Really, it was how to creatively engage students that were experiencing a tsunami of issues related to mental health, executive functioning, substance abuse, trauma, and being on their own often for the first time. These were students who didn’t realize how much trouble they were in until I was able to hold up a mirror to their face. These were students who were going through the motions of higher education without ever being asked “why college? Why not something else?” These were students experiencing death, relationships ending, and swallowing the reality of loneliness. I was often destigmatizing students seeking help with on-campus resources, exploring off-campus resources, and navigating the process of withdrawing from school. I was a case manager, an advocate, and an empath.
I also served on a suspension deferral treatment team. These were the students who had multiple DUIs and were still in pre-contemplation. This is where I realized colleges will get really creative to find ways to support students who need residential level treatment and still manage to have them be fee-paying students. Seeing a lot of those students fight their way through even thinking they had a problem, sometimes for several months, just didn’t sit well with me. I knew there were amazing programs right in our backyard, but that required telling these students to leave and get help. Not knowing if they really got the help they needed was also not okay to me. I needed to see it all through.
So I left higher education. I launched my Consulting business slowly, while traveling to visit programs who I knew would work with my exact client profile. The young adult who launched and “unraveled” (whether that was due to mental health, substance abuse, or trauma). This is the consistent story I hear as I travel, even today. It’s exciting and yet it’s also heartbreaking. How is it that this many college students have taken a break to get help and it’s very hush-hush? There’s no shame in getting help. College isn’t going anywhere, so it’s so much more important to get help with you need it and take a break from school now.
I look forward to linking up with more people in the future who tell me “hey, that was me as a student in college!” We need more of you!
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
Addiction Treatment as an Investment: Don't let program marketing fool you!
In an industry riddled with unethical practices and questionable services, I implore any family searching for treatment for their loved one to take all program marketing and advertising online with a grain of salt. “Don’t waste your time” looking online. Before I start busting chops [after recently coming across some rather aggressive marketing], I’d like to it throw out there that I have visited programs I would absolutely refer clients to. Programs that have been in business because of referrals from alumni; alumni that credit their sobriety and long term recovery to attending said program. Programs that don’t need to aggressively market.
There are programs I’ve yet to visit (and won’t) because I can see right through the BS. For a family desperate to find a treatment program for their loved one, your blinders are on and you may be easily fooled into hearing that the program can and will help. For me, all I see are dollar signs and money down the drain. I see young adults who will be in and out of multiple treatment programs, without success of staying sober. Treatment is expensive, so it’s wise to see it as an investment and make sure you’re being advised towards a program that can help from the start.
Insurance-driven over client-centered, short-term residential or PHP treatment programs with little aftercare planning unless it’s to a program they are buddies with - this is a program I’d personally avoid. This all makes my skin crawl. At the end of the day I’m recommending programs to families because of the milieu and deciding if their young adult will be a good fit, not solely because I like the program and I know they do great work. I’ll certainly call these programs first to see about space available, but not every young adult is the same. Consultants know and understand that. Sometimes, treatment programs do not. The phrase “heads on beds” is still a very real thing. When programs are in the practice of referring families directly to other programs, I just get extremely nervous and often say “well, I hope it works out for the young adult.” Should anything happen to the young adult without a Therapeutic Consultant, the family doesn’t have unbiased person they can seek out for advise and guidance.
Do I want the programs to do good work? Absolutely! Knowing I can’t stop them from referring directly to continuum care programs, do I hope they do a good job in their recommendation? Hell yes! It’s all about what’s best for the young adult. I personally don’t recommend programs I haven’t visited. Programs where I have seen the space, met the clinicians, and sat down with residents. My program visits are based on recommendations from people in the industry who I trust and respect. People who are leading the charge to “scorch the earth” around the feet of other shady programs and practices. Sadly, the treatment industry is a money-maker. We cannot be rid industry entirely of some ill-intentioned humans. Those of us that do good work though, we band together.
At the end of the day, if you are looking for treatment, whether it be locally or nationally, consider working with a Therapeutic Consultant. If you call programs directly, they are going to sell you on their program only. If you miraculously get the program that says “no” and turns you away, I’d personally have more respect for that program. It doesn’t happen often though. Therapeutic Consultants are objective and will lead you to programs that we know do quality work. We will be there to advocate for you, your loved one, and to be a part of the continuum of care; from detox to sober living and beyond. Addiction Treatment needs to be seen as any other large financial investment. No family would blindly spend money without checking references, seeking consultation, and making informed decisions. When it comes to finding treatment programs, working with a Therapeutic Consultant will be your best investment.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
Gifting the entire toolbox before College
Millenials and Generation Z (“iGen”) are more talkative about mental health than any other generation. Yet solely talking about our issues doesn’t change anything. We may show up for therapy once a week, or once a month. We get along swimmingly with our therapist, and we walk away with great solution-focused tactics that we role played in session. When we’re smacked in the face by adversity though, we’re nearly paralyzed. We’re avoidant. We’re in complete denial, and depending on the situation we might let it get so bad that we have to be rescued. Literally. Yes, I’m completely generalizing and catastrophizing. And at the same time, the elephant in the room is that there’s a truth to what is being said.
The most common diagnosis, whether self-diagnosed or not, are anxiety and depression. No matter your professional role in working with adolescents, you see this showing up very differently in young people. You might ask what can be attributed to these issues? Well, we can certainly make assumptions. Social media? Absolutely! Our brains are still developing and when we see other people doing [what appears to be] more adventurous and risk-taking behaviors, we naturally want to one-up them. Read: impulsive without thought to consequence. Or we judge ourselves for the lives we’re living as being “less-than.” Read: depressed. Or, we feel the stress and pressure to stay on track academically because all our peers are managing to get straight A’s at another college and miraculously manage to party several nights a week as well. Read: anxiety, perfectionism, and substance abuse. Aside from social media, you might see two pretty common presentations as well. One example being a young person who was outgoing and engaged and now suddenly withdrawn. Read: trauma. Or the young student who’s parent has stepped in to every situation to help ease any barriers they may experience. This could include reading a college essay where your gut tells you the parents wrote it. Or the parent who has been in touch with you numerous times asking for clarification or whatever it is you do with the adolescent (Math Teacher, Coach, etc.) and wanting to also pass judgement and express concerns – constantly. Read: “Snow Plow Parenting.” You know what I don’t love about absolutes or assumptions? Well, for “assumptions” it makes an “ASS out of U and ME.” So catchy, and yet so true. Not every Millenial or iGen person is experiencing these problems, and without watering down some of these issues, they are more common than than we want to believe. That’s nearly an absolute.
A School Counselor, Teacher, Coach, or anyone for that matter, who may see snippets of high school Senior students showing up in the ways I discussed above are the ones who can help these soon-to-be-adults with the skills they need to be successful during their college transition. Now what’s super important for me to highlight right now is that success is subjective. No one is perfect. We often stumble and fall, and that’s how we learn and grow. If we are left alone to our own device (literally), we may be on the fast track to a blow-out. And no, I’m not referencing a diaper.
Here are some thoughts on the “tools” for the toolbox and indicators of whether or not a high school student will be able to stand on their own two feet when they get to college:
Communication: What is the communication at home like? How often are these students communicating with their parents? Are they over-communicating to the point that it appears they are dependent? And same goes for the parent. Are you noticing that the parent is overly involved in knowing everything that’s happening with their child? And what about the ability to ask for help? Has the student ever had to ask for assistance with anything? Colleges are set up with an abundant of resources for students. The catch? They have to ask for it and/or show up to receive it. Most students don’t know how to ask for help, let alone brainstorm who they need to be connected to in order to eliminate their discomforts.
Academic Engagement: How did they show up in high school? Did they skip a lot of school and still manage to get passing grades? If they are skipping – where are they? A big part of college is not showing up to class, but doing the work outside of class. Are they going to college with a rigid plan for their major? Nearly 50% of college students change their major at least once. If we collectively know a student’s strength is not math and yet we’re encouraging them to be an Engineering major, we may be setting them up for failure. Not to mention, what do we think about the quality of their work? Do they have the ability to take constructive feedback regarding their work and then adapt and change to meet the rigorous requirements of higher education? Additionally, if a student as an IEP in high school it’s imperative we encourage them to get connected to the Disability Services office. I can’t tell you the number of college freshmen I worked with who refused to get the accommodations they needed. Just because you go to college doesn’t mean that a student’s disabilities, however significant, will magically disappear. Let’s help set them up for success from Day 1!
Social Engagement: Let’s look at their friend groups in high school. Did they have friends? If they were connected to negative friend groups, what was their ability to break it off? Or the reason to be connected in the first place? Were they involved with interest groups – in and out of school? Have they ever moved from one new town/school to another and be forced to establish new friends? High School friend groups will dissipate when August rolls around. Everyone will be in different places and meeting new friends. The question becomes, does the now young adult know how to make new friends?
Emotional Wellness: If a student had a mental health diagnosis in middle school, they will want to continue getting the help they need in college. Students often wait until they’re in crisis to see a counselor on campus and at that point, the wait time for an appointment may be upwards of three weeks. My recommendation: set up your appointment early. Be proactive, rather than reactive. If you know of a student who has experienced significant trauma prior to high school graduation (i.e. death in family, sexual assault, etc.) you’ll want to encourage that young person to look for a counselor on and off-campus. Help them get the therapeutic resources put in place before they even step foot on campus! Typically there are two ways to think about maladaptive behaviors in high school or college students. The first is “outward” or externalizing behaviors such as aggression, hard partying, high-risk sexual activity, and substance abuse. These are all very obvious and noticeable. The second is “inward,” or internalizing behaviors such as social isolation, substance use, self-harm, poor self-care, and suicidality. These are not always noticeable.
Physical Wellness: What are the student’s sleeping, eating, and physical fitness habits? So many high school athletes go to college and don’t do anything physical, and subsequently become depressed. Or a student is addicted to social media and finds his sleep schedule reversed and now lives a nearly nocturnal life. We talk about gut health and its connection to the brain, but that won’t stop a student from eating junk food. Especially if they are not familiar with how to cook, let along meal prep and create a menu plan.
I can’t speak highly enough of Dr. Marcia Morris’ book The Campus Cure as a resource for parents whose children are launching into higher education. She speaks to the problems, pressures, and crisis young adults are facing and how families can provide support from a distance. The seemly simple concepts are not as easy to implement in the heat of the moment though! It’s best for families to read this book before their child goes off to college. That way you can be proactively prepared in knowing how to show up and support your child during their struggles. It’s not an if, but rather a when.
At the end of the day, we collectively cannot point fingers at one single professional and say that it was ‘their fault’ the young person was not successful in their transition to college. We can blame the parents for their parenting styles. We can blame the academic rigor of their high school. We can blame the social scene on campus for not being welcoming. Or we can blame the now college-freshmen for not being resilient enough to make it through. Regardless, it’s a team effort. We can’t be bystanders in the lives of these young people as they launch into adulthood. We are the gatekeepers and we need to be more assertive in sharing our wisdom, assisting students in getting connected, and ultimately leading them to taking charge of their own life. It’s a lot of work, and at the end of the day it truly takes a village. In the face of the mental health crisis in higher education, we need a lot more folks to step up and make sure we’re helping with this “successful” transition into college.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
What's in a name? Well, apparently everything.
Nothing pains me more than to hear a parent tell me on the phone “until yesterday, I didn’t know someone like you even existed.” That statement is typically followed by audible sighs of relief for finally being connected to someone who can help ease the weight of their crisis. As a professional, I can’t help but bang my head against the wall with my efforts to raise awareness about the work I do. Apparently it’s still not working. Raising awareness means being able to help more who are hurting and struggling; it’s my own innate drive to help as many people as I can. My reactionary self wants to shout from the rooftops that “we’re here, and we do exist!” But there’s the catch - our name doesn’t necessary match the work we do.
On my business card you’ll see under my name, my profession is listed as “Therapeutic Consultant.” When I originally launched my business I went with the industry norm in being called an “Educational Consultant.” I was quickly asked how many adolescents I was navigating through the college process. My answer was always, and will be always be, “none.” That’s the furthest from the work I do. My consulting business is strictly for therapeutic placements. The work I do is with young adults only and their families. The young adults I’m hired to help are mostly struggling with co-occurring issues related to their mental health and substance use. The common theme is a young adult who is struggling with launching into adulthood. Regardless, “Educational Consultant” does not do justice to the work I do. So begs the question, what’s a better name?
A professional outside of my industry offered for me to try on the title “Young Adult Transitional Coach.” At first, I let that marinate. It felt very millenial-esque, yet very quickly it didn’t fit for me either. I didn’t want to get lumped into those who do coaching full-time. Not to mention, if anyone actually have that as a title. If so, please send me a private message as I’d love to connect to learn more about you! The closest I’ll ever get to coaching (again) is the high school girls soccer team in Denver that I did for a couple years. When it comes to my clients or their parents needing coaching, I lean on Coaching professionals to help. Sometimes I feel like I’m a Case Manager, yet that makes me think of a community social worker. I’ve been toying with the idea of “Behavioral Healthcare Navigator.” I want to tread lightly because I don’t want families to think I’m a health insurance expert in knowing which treatment programs will be covered. Again, that’s a separate call to another professional group that I’ll add to the team if that’s a priority for the family. That’s not my specific role. What I can help with though, is getting a family connected to someone who can help.
In a nutshell, this is what I do:
Gather information to paint a picture of what is needed for treatment and therapeutic support by connecting with all current professionals and concerned parties in the life of the young adult (ie parent, professor, therapist, etc.).
If no information can be provided due to an client never having received mental health care, connect family with local resources including by not limited to Therapist with specific training and expertise that would be helpful for the client, Group Therapy, Mentoring, Life Coaching, Psychologist for testing, and/or Psychiatrist.
Should the client needs a higher level of mental health support immediately due to an emergency situation (ie hospital discharge), I ease the weight of the crisis by researching placements and presenting program recommendations to family and young adult that are best-fitting for their needs and has availability.
Provide Case Management with family, program staff, and young adults while in treatment. Constantly looking ahead to the “next steps” for continued care and support for the needs of the entire family.
Travel constantly to visit potential programs ensuring that I am recommending ethical programs to the families I work with. These programs include: residential treatment, wilderness therapy, young adult transitional programs, detox, recovery programs, sober living, mentoring programs, and anything unique that could be ideal for a specific client.
Why this is continuously tugging on me is because when parents go to Google to ask for resources, we don’t pop up. Period. A family might be really lucky if they end up connecting with a Therapist who happens to know about our profession. This is not an anomaly, yet it’s few and far between. That means we rely heavily on all clinicians to know we exist. Not shocking to hear, few do. In fact, a lot of them don’t.
In the end, I know the work I do is imperative to the families I help. Whatever they want to refer to me as, I won’t ever correct them. Everyone is entitled to their opinion is categorizing me into how they see me in helping them. Maybe one day I’ll end up working for a very creative family who will help me solve this puzzle for myself. Who will hit the name on the head for titling our profession, spreading awareness, and subsequently helping to connect more families to this type of resource. For now, I’ll continue to settle with “Therapeutic Consultant.” When someones asks me to clarify what that means, which to be clear happens every single time I’m asked about my profession, I’ll happily share. To try to summarize, I help young adults and families get connected to the most appropriate therapeutic supports, and no young adult is the same in what they need. Realistically though, I hope they have more than three minutes to listen because it’s not a simple elevator speech in describing the work that I do.
If you or someone you know is in need of finding a Therapeutic Consultant, search for someone who can help here: Therapeutic Consulting Association.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.