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In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Taylor, an expert therapeutic educational consultant, to demystify the niche world of out-of-home placements and residential treatment. We explore the critical emotional journey parents face when realizing their child needs a higher level of care and how psychologists can play a foundational role in that transition. Jennifer shares her personal “why” as a parent of children who required intensive support, providing a deeply empathetic lens on the process of navigating wilderness programs, therapeutic boarding schools, and young adult transition services. We discuss the “safety quotient” and “anxiety quotient” for parents, the practicalities of how consultants vet programs through rigorous site visits, and why a high-quality neuropsychological evaluation is the essential roadmap for successful placement and treatment planning.
Main Topics
- 00:01:36 – Introduction to Jennifer and the niche of therapeutic educational consulting.
- 00:04:02 – Jennifer’s personal story: Navigating the special education and residential world as a parent.
- 00:07:48 – Defining the role of a therapeutic educational consultant versus traditional consultants.
- 00:13:31 – Case study: The trajectory from suicidal ideation to University of Chicago admission.
- 00:20:52 – Determining when a higher level of care is necessary: Identifying school refusal and “pattern interrupts.”
- 00:25:20 – How psychologists can find and collaborate with reputable educational consultants.
- 00:36:07 – Managing parent ambivalence and the “safety and anxiety quotients” during transitions.
- 00:43:31 – The vetting process: Why visiting programs in person is non-negotiable for consultants.
- 00:52:15 – Best practices for collaboration between assessing clinicians and consultants.
- 01:02:42 – Final takeaways: Making psychological reports accessible and engaging for families and teens.
Cool Things Mentioned
- The Testing Psychologist mastermind groups and business consulting
- Reverb AI-powered report-writing software
- Independent Educational Consultant Association (IECA): www.iecaonline.com
- Therapeutic Consulting Association (TCA): www.therapeuticconsulting.org
- JET Ed Consulting: www.jetedconsulting.com
Featured Resources
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About Jennifer Taylor
Jennifer Eve Taylor, JD, is the Founder of JET ED Consulting, and her practice specializes in supporting families and their children who are affected by mental health, emotional challenges, and learning differences. Jennifer is an expert in residential, therapeutic, and learning differences programs.
Get in Touch & Resources:
- Website: www.jetedconsulting.com
- Email: jennifer@jetedconsulting.com
About Dr. Jeremy Sharp
I’m a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that I founded in 2009 and have grown to over 20 clinicians. I earned my undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting my Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, I specialize in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents.
As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, I provide private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife (also a therapist) and two young kids.
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