Evening appointments available • Serving Adolescents (13+) and Adults
SCHOOL ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT
Is your teen anxious, overwhelmed, or falling behind at school?
As a parent, it is heartbreaking to watch your child dread the school day. Often, the academic workload is only a fraction of the problem. If your adolescent is struggling, you might notice they are dealing with:
- Severe School Anxiety: Avoiding class, faking illnesses to stay home, or experiencing panic before the morning bell.
- Peer & Social Pressure: Feeling isolated, experiencing bullying, or constantly trying to change who they are to fit in.
- Low Self-Esteem: Negative self-talk, feeling "not good enough," or completely giving up when assignments get tough.
- Re-entry Stress: The overwhelming pressure of returning to school after a mental health crisis, hospitalization, or extended absence.
SCHOOL COLLABORATION
Helping parents understand their options, prepare for IEP and 504 meetings, and communicate effectively with their child’s school team.
- Parent Advocacy — Prepare for conversations and meetings with greater clarity and confidence.
- IEP & 504 Support — Better understand plans, accommodations, concerns, and questions to bring to the school team.
- School Collaboration — Strengthen communication between families, educators, counselors, and other professionals supporting the student.
BUILDING SELF-ADVOCACY
Helping teens accept and use support with greater confidence. For some teenagers, the fear of being picked on, singled out, or perceived as "different" can become a barrier to using their educational supports.
We work with your adolescent to explore the emotional impact of receiving accommodations, build confidence around asking for help, and develop practical self-advocacy skills.
Together, we work toward helping your teen:
- Understand and communicate their needs
- Identify what makes certain supports uncomfortable or difficult to use
- Practice asking for accommodations in ways that feel comfortable to them
- Develop strategies for responding to peer comments or social concerns
- Build confidence in using appropriate supports
- View accommodations as tools that support their learning rather than as a reflection of their worth or abilities
Support should empower your teen—not make them feel defined by their disability or educational needs.
School Collaboration
With your permission, we consult directly with your teen’s school counselors, social workers, and teachers. This ensures that the adults in the building understand how to implement the accommodations quietly and respectfully, protecting your child's dignity while supporting their education.
School Challenges & Adolescent Re-entry
Adolescents returning to school after hospitalization, residential treatment, long-term illness, or legal involvement face a high-stress transition. Returning to school after a major life disruption, whether due to a mental health crisis, behavioral challenges, or extended absence, is incredibly overwhelming for teens. We provide a supportive space for adolescents to process re-entry anxiety, rebuild their self-esteem, and learn coping skills for academic stress. We also collaborate with families and school staff to advocate for necessary accommodations (like 504 plans or IEPs) to ensure a stable transition.
Taking the first step can feel uncertain, but you don’t have to figure it out on your own.