Welcome to Family Light

WHY ENGAGE THE SERVICES OF FAMILYLIGHT?

FamilyLight offers a unique service for parents struggling with the behavioral, emotional, psychological, or substance abuse concerns of their child. Our service is unmatched by any other in comprehensiveness, versatility, and achievement because we

Explore all possible solutions

Begin with a home visit and include the young person in the process

Respect and listen to the young person, while recognizing that the parents are the decision makers

Lessen the resistance of most oppositional teens

Select resources with a personal approach

Possess knowledge of specialized facilities

Understand clinical issues

Provide ongoing support and parent coaching

Help families get the best results for their investment

Exploring options :Many of the families contacting us are considering the possibility of placing their son or daughter in a boarding school or residential facility; others want to work toward keeping their family intact. Whether it is identifying possible facilities or discussing ways of keeping the young person at home, our consultant explores all available options.

Home Visit : Rather than requiring parents to take a possibly resistant young person to a professional office, we provide personalized consulting through the use of a home visit. Meeting in a familiar location is more comfortable for the family and also enables the consultant to gain a more thorough understanding of the family's needs. For further information, see the document (in this packet) entitled "What Is a Home Visit?"

Comprehensive approach to assisting the family : Whether a young person is placed in a school, program, or sequence of programs or remains at home, FamilyLight provides comprehensive support for the family for the duration of the service agreement. If residential placement is required, our role is to guide the selection of the facility and to hold the facility accountable during the young person's stay. If a young person remains at home, our staff functions as parent coaches with the possible development of a Home Contract tailored to the specific needs of the family and designed to have the young person take responsibility for the placement, should it be necessary. Whatever happens, we will be there to support you.

Knowledge of specialized facilities : Throughout the past fourteen years, our staff has personally visited hundreds of schools, therapeutic programs, and other potential service providers both in the United States and abroad. We periodically check on the facilities' personnel, policies, and curriculum changes. Knowledge gained from observing how a particular facility is run and how the students react to the program enables our consultant

to make the most appropriate recommendations.

Contrast our approach to other options:

"Free" referral services, which are usually sales people or "headhunters" on commission for specific facilities. (Many web sites purport to provide free advice and may even appear to be charitable foundations; however, they may be paid by the programs they recommend.)

Clinicians in private practice who generally do not have the time to visit a significant number of residential facilities.

Educational consultants who never meet your son or daughter.

General practice educational consultants who are expert at locating conventional educational facilities but may not be as conversant with the wide spectrum of specialized programs available in today's marketplace.

Educational consultants whose work stops once they have provided a list of recommended facilities.

Parents who chose facilities based on the marketing claims of the specialized facilities or on a friend's recommendation. (What worked well for a friend's child may not meet the needs of your son or daughter.)

Ability to help families get the best results for their investment : Many clients want the best alternative regardless of cost, while others are more concerned with the bottom line. Having professional assistance in carefully selecting the most appropriate facility to meet the special needs of the young person can help avoid costly mistakes. When parents approach a residential school or treatment center on their own, they are one-time buyers. As an independent consulting service having no affiliation with any specific program, facilities view FamilyLight as a potential return-customer, and they understand that keeping the consultant satisfied requires keeping the consultant’s clients satisfied.

Support and reassurance during some very trying times : Our job is not finished once we have made recommendations; our consultant, family coordinators and parent coaches are available to provide ongoing support to parents. Whether dealing with major issues or just needing someone to talk with, parents can rely on FamilyLight for support. Our availability is part of the service.

Unique Features of FamilyLight

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