Serving Teens with Behavioral and Emotional Needs: Independent Educational Consultants as Case Managers
by Mark H. Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA
An IECA Task Force was recently exploring how independent educational consultants (IECs) related to allied professionals. The groups explored the relationship with tutors, test prep experts, financial aid officers, athletic coaches, and more for those seeking college or prep school placements. When learning issues come in to play, LD specialists and academic testing professionals join that expanding list.
It is easiest to see the role of the independent educational consultant in these special needs areas as less educational advisor, and more as a “case manager.” An IEC working in this area coordinates with a local psychologist or psychiatrist, ensuring proper psycho-educational testing is completed, and works to ensure family counseling that helps parents and siblings to understand and relate to the troubled individual. At the same time they coordinate short-term, medium-term, and long range plans that could involve everything from hospital care, to wilderness therapy, to specialized boarding school, to at-home follow-up care, and life-coaching. Often the plan involves multiples of these choices.
Now, when asked about the role of independent educational consultants, I speak of the work to help students explore and choose appropriate educational settings by guiding them through the school or college process AND the role of IECs as case managers for teens whose path to success is more difficult.
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Mark,
I like this description of all the extra services independent educational consultants provide to special needs teens so much, I’d like to place a link to it on our website. Is that OK?
During a recent Hawaii site visit by Leslie Goldberg, Daria Rockholtz and Tom Croke we learned more about their full-service roles with the families they serve, and additional ways we can help them facilitate some of that work.
I think the families are very fortunate when they can find independent educational consultants that can link and coordinate the many services teens and families need through time on their path to healing and success.
Lynn, Thanks for your positive comments about the work of IECs in providing support for families during very difficult times. We’d be very happy to have you link to the blog from the Sea Change Hawai’i web site!