In Educational Therapy, we believe all students should have an advocate who is solely dedicated to their personal growth and academic success. Rebecca O’Brien (Professional Educational Therapist) considers each client’s unique learning strengths and needs when creating her therapeutic Learning Plans. These LPs have targeted goals which may evolve each season as the client grows over time.
Please read below some important guidelines to begin and maintain a a successful ET alliance.
- With an ET’s guidance and support, parents should be willing to stay open-minded, actively collaborate with the ET and be curious to try new strategies at home for reinforcement. Any issues or resistance that comes up at home can be problem-solved with the ET. Please check-in regularly to discuss the ET process and activities to be done with the client.
- Every student is expected to apply learned strategies both during and outside of the therapy sessions. If parents should help ensure that any tasks sent home are completed and returned, it will advance the therapeutic goals faster.
- Daily progress notes, quarterly summary reports, and revised learning plans will be accessible to parents, teachers, and/or other invited allied professionals (teacher, learning specialist, doctor) via a google drive system.
- Each student session runs for a professional 50-minute hour, unless otherwise agreed with parents. The other 10 minutes of the hour are “built-in” transition for follow-up planning, preparation, and/or note-taking. Shorter or interrupted sessions may or may not be prorated – at the ET’s discretion.
- Please keep all scheduled appointments whenever possible. A student’s rate of progress and educational growth highly depends upon consistent attendance and frequency. Continuing sessions over long school breaks or vacations is crucial for many learning interventions to be successful. Without practice, many gains could be lost or forgotten.
- The first several sessions will be used for establishing a rapport with the student, collecting data and observations using educational assessments, and building a learning plan.
a. Permission to speak with other Allied Professionals (AP) will be requested.
b. A formal report of educational assessment results can be written for an additional fee. A meeting can be set to discuss the results and next steps with parents, as well. - Parents are highly encouraged to call/email/text to discuss their concerns, successes, and simply provide updates regarding their child’s educational and behavioral progress outside of school. There is no fee for these brief calls or message exchange.
- Conferences with parents, teachers, or consults with other allied professionals will be necessary from time-to-time to discuss student progress and performances. The professional rate still applies for the ET’s time spent in any of these formal meetings by phone, Zoom, or in person.
a. Parent check-in meetings with the ET are recommended every 1-2 months for updates.
b. Referrals to other specialists will most likely occur if/when specific expertise, adjunct therapies, or evaluations are needed. An ET only refers when her professional experience determines that outside help is visibly needed by another medical expert.
c. ET’s are not licensed to provide direct pediatric counseling, psychoeducational testing or formal medical diagnoses, occupational therapy, or speech/language training.
d. Parents are highly encouraged to seek out any referred specialists ASAP so that their child may receive the treatments they need for optimal growth/development. - Parent support, trust, and encouragement of the child at home is essential to the success of any therapeutic treatment. Please follow up daily with your child about what they are learning.
