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FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of using Horizon Family Solutions Educational Consulting? Are You a Member of Any Organization? Are Your Services Expensive? Are These Programs and Schools Really Worth the Cost? Do Programs or Schools Pay You to Refer Students to Them? Do You Assist Out of State Families? Do You Recommend Boot Camps? Do You Work Only with Troubled Teens? How Do You Get to Know So Much About All the Programs and Schools You Recommend? My Child is in Troubled with the Law. Can You Help? Who Do You Serve? Why use Horizon Family Solutions Educational Consulting? How Long Does the Process Take? What are the benefits of using Horizon Family Solutions Educational Consulting? In short . . . we save you money, time, and take away most of your frustration. Private programs for struggling teens are typically expensive, both emotionally and financially. Unfortunately parents are often vulnerable to making wrong choices out of desperation and end up changing programs and schools after they have enrolled their adolescent during a family crisis. Within months this program may seem inappropriate. Now you have to start all over and your child is really struggling more than before.
Parents may apply for an educational loan which assists with such expenses as:
By assessing your adolescent's specific needs and discussing your resources, we can assist you in exploring options that make the most sense for your situation.
Make an informed decision by benefiting from the knowledge and expertise of Horizon Family Solutions, LLC Educational Consulting. TOP OF PAGE Are You a Member of Any Organization? Ms. Frances has been accepted and recognized in the Circuit Court for the State of Oregon, in and for the County of Coos, as a court approved Parent Coordinator. Ms. Frances is an active member of the American Bar Association (ABA) and The Clinicians Network of Bend and Central Oregon (CN). Her professional affiliations are with the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in which she is a volunteer in Deschutes County, Oregon, Education Industry Association (EIA), The Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC), National Association of Parents with Children in Special Education (NAPCSE), the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) and The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH).
TOP OF PAGE Are Your Services Expensive? I charge a flat rate that is comparable to the charges of educational psychologists and other child development specialists in the Bend, Oregon area, although I usually end up working with the adolescent and family for at least a year. On the first phone call with the parents, we decide together what the fee will be for the services needed. I stay on board with the family and the adolescent throughout their placement, oftentimes visiting them in their program as well. I can arrange the service fee to be paid half and half or in thirds when necessary.
TOP OF PAGE Are These Programs and Schools Really Worth the Cost? Special purpose schools and programs are very expensive. Ms. Frances, as an experienced and competent professional, can increase the odds that the first choice of a school or program will be the right hoice and will have more than "quick-fix" results, helping to avoid additional failures for the adolescent, especially after returning home. Being able to reduce the possibility of losing money and time, as a result of an inappropriate placement, is crucial to the child and to the family. TOP OF PAGE Do Programs or Schools Pay You to Refer Students to Them? Absolutely not! I am an independent educational consultant and a member of the American Bar Association. I am also committed to Ethical Standards that remain true to our founding values of quality services, honesty and hard work. My clients are the students and the families, and my commitment is to find the program or school that is the best fit for each student, and one that has life long results and not a quick fix. TOP OF PAGE Do You Assist Out of State Families? Yes! Dore Frances, M.A. was one of the very first Educational Consultants that started assisting families all across the United States without meeting them face to face. Dore's intuitiveness and her detailed Student Profile attributes to the success she has had with families also located in Australia, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Peru, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and those stationed in the military overseas.
Based in Bend, Oregon, Dore frequently works with families across the nation. An initial meeting can be arranged either in your hometown or via telephone. The remainder of the process is generally conducted by email, fax, and phone. References are available upon request. TOP OF PAGE Do You Recommend Boot Camps? No! My firm belief is that all adolescents, struggling or not, need positive assistance to heal along with caring encouragement. I neither recommend nor associate with any boot camps, punitive programs or rigorously demanding programs that play head games with students, such as withholding communication from their parents. TOP OF PAGE Do You Work Only with Troubled Teens? Definitely not! We have a broad range of experience assisting children, adolescents and young adults who have had a wide spectrum of needs. We have worked with children as young as 8 and adults as old as 28. Some have had significant learning or behavioral needs as well as psychiatric diagnosis.
Others did not exhibit any behavioral problems but were in need of strong ADD and/or LD support. Many young adults require support in transitioning from adolescence to adulthood or need support for other areas of their life to get back on track, such as completing high school, getting their GED or entering the workforce. TOP OF PAGE How Do You Get to Know So Much About All the Programs and Schools You Recommend? A good deal of my time is spent traveling and visiting programs and schools, locally, nationally and occasionally abroad. On average, I travel to visit programs and schools at least one week out of each month, either on my own or with other consultants. It is important for me to have a face to face meeting with the school and their staff and to have a personal relationship with the admissions people.
I follow the progress of each adolescent I place, receiving copies of all school reports, having monthly phone calls with one of the staff working with the adolescent (weekly all when it is a short term or wilderness program) visiting on campus and in the field when possible and consulting with and visiting the family when necessary.
TOP OF PAGE My Child is in Troubled with the Law. Can You Help? We have years of experience and knowledge dealing with adolescents and high-risk troubled teens as well as the juvenile justice and legal system and can help the family in assessing the circumstances and making the most informed and knowledgeable choices. Once hired by the family, we can appear, speak with and write to the court / judge / probation officer and offer alternatives for the adolescent's placement.
When Your Teenager Is In Trouble with the Law - More Information TOP OF PAGE Who Do You Serve? Our clients range in age from 8-28 years. They present a range of behavioral, emotional and learning challenges including:
TOP OF PAGE Why use Horizon Family Solutions Educational Consulting? Horizon Family Solutions Educational Consulting knows that your adolescent is more than their current behaviors and poor decision making. We assist you in navigating through the countless options to find best specialty programs and therapeutic schools to address the whole student: body, mind and spirit. We regularly evaluate these schools and programs, in-person, to assess efficiency and treatment approaches, following trends in practices and procedures as well as the professionals who work directly with students. TOP OF PAGE How Long Does the Process Take? Our approach to educational counseling is thoroughness. We truly view each student and family as unique and deserving of a process that is careful, thorough and thoughtful. In order to provide recommendations that address the individual needs of each student, once we have interviewed the parents and young person (when applicable), we then begin speaking with other professionals involved with the student and/or family, review school documents, testing records, etc. Utilizing all of this valuable information we generate recommendations that are carefully tailored to the goals, interests and needs of the family. Thoroughness need not, however, be associated with a long, drawn out process. We have designed a very efficient approach to professional contacts, record review and school research that allows us to move forward with a family's desire for timely feedback. There are instances, generated by crises such as, hospitalization, non-compliance, running away, sudden decline in performance and in the interest of safety, a very rapid response is needed. Again, we have a process that can, in these situations, allow for an almost immediate intervention for families who are under contract for educational placement services. In any case, at the initial meeting we are able to discuss a realistic timeline that incorporates the family's sense of urgency and our need for discussions with schools, therapists, etc. TOP OF PAGE Phone: (541) 312-4422 or (866) 833-6911 (TEEN911) Fax: (541) 312-4420 email: dore@dorefrances.com For many families Educational Consultants have proven to be the link between peace of mind and a program that truly fits their child's unique needs. Watch this three minute video. |
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Dore E Frances, M.A. Educational Planner A Holistic approach A Supportive approach Horizon Family Solutions, LLC Educational Consulting 1145 NW Knoxville Blvd. Bend, Oregon 97701 541.312.4422 Phone 541.312.4420 Fax     |
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