| |
|
Personal Profile 
|
|
|
Hi, my name is Nelson Shumway. I am the After-Care Coach provided by the Parent Support Services for your school/program. I am here to serve as a resource to you and your family as you go through the transition of leaving the school or program. My goal is to help you make that transition as smooth as possible.
Experience
I have a BA degree in Psychology and I am currently licensed as a Social Service Worker with the State of Utah. I have worked with the State of Utah as a Social Worker for about five years. During this time I was asked to work with families in crisis and provide assessments and interventions in an effort to reduce the crisis.
I have also worked with teen programs for about eight years. During this time I have been involved in several different aspects of the programs. I have been the first contact for many families who have been struggling with a teen, often under crisis conditions, who were looking for an intervention to save their teen's life. I had the opportunity of working directly with the students and evaluating their progress. This position provided some valuable insights into the teenage mind-set. I was also able to work with families as their teen entered the program, coaching them on what to expect and what to do now that their teen was enrolled. This position also allowed me to contact families who had left the program and assess their progress.
I have a wonderful wife and six children of my own. My children are very special to me, just as I am sure you are special to your parents, but they can be challenging. Although my children are still quite young they have provided some very good learning opportunities.
|
|
|
My Role is Three Fold
1. I can Coach your Family as you go through this transition. Having done this with other families, I can show you what others have done and found to be effective. I also can help you avoid the common mistakes or pitfalls that some have made. Sometimes a few simple suggestions can make all the difference.
2. I am a Crisis Counselor for you or your parents. You or your parents are welcome to call me anytime day or night in order to counsel or coach you through a Crisis. I am very happy to assist your family in this way. It means a lot to me when families have enough confidence in me to call on me when there is a crisis to work through. If I am not able to fully help you through a Crisis, then I can refer you to the appropriate resources.
3. I can also direct you to other needed services. If you need ongoing counseling, AA programs, academic help, or other such needs after you return home I can help direct you to these resources. While my basic services are free, some of the other resources like professional counseling or academic tutoring may have a cost to them.
First and Foremost Suggestion
There is no better time to reestablish a working relationship with your parents than right now. Many frustrations and conflicts can be avoided by having a clear outline of what is expected of you and your commitment to these expectations as you return home. I strongly recommend that you outline what you anticipate your parent's expectations will be and what your commitment is to these expectations as a condition of you being able to return and stay home. The sooner you do this the better. We have learned the best way to do this is through what we call a home contract. This is a personalized and custom made agreement/contract that outlines your parent's expectations and what your commitment is to follow them. Through the technology of the computer, we can help you form a home contract that is unique to you and your family by clicking the button below:
|
