First hand experience is priceless.....
When counseling and therapy isn't working anymore....
Residential Treatment, Speciality Schools and Wilderness Programs are an intervention, not a destination. It is a level of care in an array of services that children and youth, with or at risk of emotional or behavioral disorders, need at a particular time given their histories, diagnoses, complexities of impairment, and living and learning situations.
When a parent is reaching extreme crisis with their child, they are most vulnerable for making mistakes. These mistakes can cost them emotionally as well as financially.
When you first realize you are feeling desperate and hopeless to get your at-risk teen the help they need, many parents turn to the Internet. This blind searching of over 1,000's of residential treatment and wilderness program sites can bring feelings of confusion, desperation and uncertainty. Who do you believe? Who do you trust?
This is when a parent is at the highest risk of making hasty and sudden decisions that can lead to making poor choices in what is best for their child, teen or young adult.
Dr. Dore Frances offers over 20+ years of experience in the teen help industry, as an advocate, family coach and professional independent educational / therapeutic consultant. She offers objective and sound advice and helps you learn about your many and vast options. Not every family can afford the professional services of an educational / therapeutic consultant.
Dr. Frances is a professional independent consultant, and she is also a parent who had an adolescent daughter in boarding school residential treatment.
Most people you speak with off the Internet have not experienced what you are going through with your child. Most do not know what you are dealing with at home and that feeling of walking on egg shells.
As a parent who has been there, Dr. Frances really knows that feeling of helplessness and vulnerability.
There are other so-called "Family Assistants", "Family Directors", "Education Advisors", "Teen Help Advisors", "Family Mentors", "Placements Specialists" and the list goes on as they keep coming up with new names, which only confuse parents even more.
They are not Professional Independent Educational / Therapeutic Consultants. Some of these "Directors" charge the family nothing, which sounds great.
However, that means that they are usually being paid a commission by a handful of programs, of which they choose from, whether it may be a best fit for your child or not.
Others charge anywhere from $250 to $750, which is pretty minimal, again, because they are receiving placement fees from a handful of programs, and again, options, and best interest of the child are put to extreme limits.
Remember the cliché - "you get what you pay for."
Oftentimes these "Advisors" are working off a very small list of programs, or may even "sell" you this list.
Dr. Frances is not only a parent that has been there, she also, in her professional work as an Independent Educational Consultant has visited hundreds of addiction treatment centers, boarding school, clinical centers, eating disorder programs, learning disability schools, psychiatric treatment centers, residential therapeutic treatment centers, and wilderness programs. As an experienced professional evaluator and a member of the American Evaluation Association, Dr. Frances knows how to conduct thorough background checks, clinical licensing board checks, department of health check, and even speaks with the local fire and police departments when evaluating a program or school. Her first hand experience and her educational and professional background has allowed her the honor of assisting hundreds of families over the years. Due to her professional practice, Dr. Frances is not able to offer "specials" for her educational / therapeutic consulting services.
However, because of her passion in assisting families and their at-risk children, and wanting to keep children safe, and parents in a position of using their limited resources wisely, she has researched and put together a list of over 70 programs and schools that offer low tuitions for placements of children, teens and young adults.
For a limited time Dr. Frances is offering a 45 minute phone consultation with any family who is seriously looking for residential treatment placement for their at-risk child and is not in the financial position to hire a professional independent educational / therapeutic consultant. This will include receiving the list of programs and schools that have passed a background check and are offering low tuitions for families that meet their financial assistance / scholarship guidelines.
There is a small fee for this service.
Click here for the required steps to make an appointment.
Please visit other pages on this site for more helpful tips and resources for you and your family.
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"Chaos was what we were living with on a daily basis. Thank you again for being there for us." ~ L & R Campo, California (2007)
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"We have used your resources on your site extensively and have integrated your suggestions from our call when looking at different addiction treatment centers. Thank you for your compassion and interest and for the help you provide to those looking to make good decisions during a difficult time." ~ B & K Sullivan, Florida (2010)
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"Thank you for your help. We really did not know where to turn next. I am glad we found you." ~ A & E Harold, Louisiana (2008)
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"Thank you so very much for your help. We are most grateful for your information and we are now on the right path to getting our daughter help." ~ J & R Johnson, Oregon (2011)
- "As grandparents raising our granddaughter, we know we still have a lot to learn. Or rather re-learn. Your assistance has helped us not waste our valuable resources and time. Thank you!" ~ Kim & Paul S., Michigan (2010)
