Welcome
Northlight Family Services provides educational consulting, life coaching, and counseling for families and young adults considering using residential schools, therapeutic programs, or alternatives to college. Since 2000, we have matched over 1,000 families and built relationships with over 1,200 programs and schools.
"Your personal attention to our individual family needs, your vast knowledge of options and educational resources enabled us to make these excruciating decisions."
Kelly, Former Client
Who We Serve
Northlight Family serves a wide range of students, teens and young adults. Our clients may be highly motivated and successful students who are bored with school or those struggling with bad grades, lack of motivation, and/or learning disabilities. We are highly experienced in working with oppositional, angry, and aggressive behaviors, anxiety, self-destructive compulsions, suicidal thoughts and addictions to drugs, alcohol, sex, internet, and/or eating. We listen deeply and follow the latest research to provide the best guidance for you and your family members to learn, heal, and grow.
We serve families nationally and abroad and work with pre-teens, teens, and young adults into their early thirties. We are proud of the strong relationships we have built with schools, therapists and professionals in the field over the last two decades.
We work with each client to choose programs and opportunities that will be a good fit for their unique situation. Examples of what we can help you to find:
For Adolescents:
- boarding schools
- high school semester programs
- schools for learning disabilities
- wilderness programs
- residential treatment center
- home-based solutions
For Young Adults:
- gap year programs
- alternatives to college
- transitional / step down programs
- wilderness programs
- residential treatments
- independent living / coaching programs
Our Approach to Consulting
Matchmaking
Advocating for You
Advocating for You
Matchmaking is the essence of good educational consulting, and we are skilled at it. We take the time to really listen to clients and their families, to perceive the nuances of each unique situation. Our expertise, diligent research, and over two decades of experience allow us to match you, and your family, to the resources that fit best.
Advocating for You
Advocating for You
Advocating for You
We are your advocate throughout the entire process of using a school or program. Programs are familiar with us and we are familiar with their teachers and therapists. Because of these relationships, our families often get better service and we are better able to guide you to a positive outcome. With our help, you will get the full value of the program and any support services offered.
Integrative Healing
Whole Family Process
Whole Family Process
We look for an integrative and functional approach to healing that cares for the whole person. Every program we recommend will have the right services, curriculum, therapeutic modalities to help, appropriately trained staff and strong safety protocols. However, we prefer programs that also take care to nurture and support the spirit and soul of our clients.
Whole Family Process
Whole Family Process
Whole Family Process
We believe in whole family approach to healing. When we recommend a school to your family, we are referring your entire family to the school. One family member is not sent away in the hope that they will come home “fixed,” instead, every member family will be included in the process.
"Every resource you have directed us to has been just the program or person [our son] needed at that point in time ... There is no way that we could have helped [him] the way we wanted to without the wonderful people you brought into our lives."
Monica, Former Client
Our Process
Evaluation
We start with an initial intake interview where we obtain a thorough history, gather records, and collect necessary paperwork. To get a full picture of the client's strengths, challenges, and needs, we will review any records and conduct interviews with relevant individuals (e.g., teachers, counselors, coaches).
Deliberation
After gathering information and determining the optimal type of environment for the client, we provide a list of possible programs or schools. This phase is about getting you to a wise and informed decision, and we will do what it takes to help you make that decision.
Advocacy
We maintain a relationship with you and the staff at the chosen program throughout the entire process. In the case of therapeutic placements, this includes scheduled updates from the primary therapist and conference calls to monitor progress.
Transition
Our consulting contract includes basic coaching for transition and reunification after a residential school or program – a crucial part of the process. This is not meant to be a comprehensive transition planning service, though those services are available at an additional cost.
Additional Services
Many families supplement the educational consulting contract and take advantage of our additional services for parent support, transition planning, and/or experiential workshops. Contracts for these services are created on an individual family basis.
Our Staff
Rob Meltzer, MA, CEP
Rob Meltzer, MA, CEP
Rob Meltzer, MA, CEP
Gretchen Joslin
Rob Meltzer, MA, CEP
Rob Meltzer, MA, CEP
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