How We Work

At Family Compass, we believe that a comprehensive approach to evaluating children is essential for understanding and addressing their unique needs. Our primary goal is to work closely with parents to clearly share our thinking about their child and develop solutions that work for their families.

To enable each child and family to thrive, Family Compass offers a broad range of specialized services provided by a multidisciplinary group of professionals. When indicated, a family may receive services from more than one professional to best meet their needs and goals.

Family Compass emphasizes specialized, cutting-edge treatments. We seek to gain a "big picture" view of the whole child and family from the initial phases of contact until we conclude. To achieve this goal, each Family Compass therapist follows a process for new families in order to learn about their concerns, conduct a comprehensive assessment that is tailored to the child and family’s needs, and plan and implement individualized interventions. We also engage in regular and timely follow-up to track progress, celebrate successes, and make changes where necessary.

Initial Phone Consultation

Our Intake process begins with an initial, 15-minute phone consultation with one of our therapists, at no charge, to hear your concerns and determine which of our professionals are best suited to meet your needs. This phase may include follow up calls, at no charge, to ensure the best fit between our services and the needs of your family.

Intake & Assessment

The intake and assessment process helps the therapist identify the strengths and challenges of the child and family, and formulate the best course of intervention and therapy. The assessment process is individualized for the child and family, but almost always begins with a parent meeting to learn about their child and their concerns. A session with the child usually follows. Based on these initial meetings, the therapist determines what assessments or additional information are necessary in order to provide the clearest roadmap for helping the child and family. Our experience has taught us that establishing a clear roadmap at the outset of our work is essential for success. As necessary, the assessment process may include one or more of the following:

• Additional parent and/or child meetings
• Meeting with the whole family
• Phone consultations with other care-giving professionals
• Use of questionnaires and measurement tools
• Neuropsychological, developmental, or speech and language testing
• Classroom and/or community observations

Planning with Parents

Following the assessment, the therapist will provide parents with a summary report of findings and recommendations. Usually it will include an explanation of the child’s strengths and challenges as well as recommendations for intervention. The parents meet with the therapist to review the findings and discuss the recommendations, and together they finalize a plan to address the needs of the child and family.

Intervention

Family Compass strongly believes in empowering parents and caregivers to be active participants in any intervention for their child, including participation in sessions, regular feedback, and parent meetings. Follow Up & Planning A periodic follow-up is essential to ensure progress and optimize our work with the child and family. It is a time for the therapist and family to pause and reflect upon successes achieved, review ongoing challenges and roadblocks, and plan for how best to proceed.

Fees

Fees for services vary based on the individual therapist and the therapeutic services provided. The individual therapist will provide you with fee information prior to your initial intake session. Bills are generated and mailed to families by the 20th of every month, and we ask that families return payment by the end of each month.

Insurance

Family Compass does not participate in any insurance network coverage plans and is considered by health insurance companies as an "out of network provider." All bills are to be paid directly to Family Compass, regardless of coverage or reimbursement. However, upon request and with information provided by you, Family Compass can submit a bill to your insurance carrier, asking the insurance provider to reimburse you. There is no additional charge for this service.