Sometimes you just need another set of eyes.

What it is

Family Consultation is individualized support for parents, caregivers, and families who want help understanding behavior, solving a problem, navigating disability-related needs, or deciding what to do next.

As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with a background in special education and disability services, I bring behavioral expertise and years of practical experience to the conversation — but you bring something equally important: your knowledge of the person you love.

We put those things together.

Depending on what your family needs, consultation might include:

• Helping you understand a challenging or confusing behavior
• Looking for patterns or factors that may be contributing to a problem
• Developing practical strategies to try at home
• Troubleshooting routines that have become difficult
• Thinking through communication, independence, or skill-building needs
• Preparing for changes or transitions
• Reviewing existing plans, recommendations, or supports with you
• Helping you prepare questions and priorities for school or service-team meetings
• Identifying resources or services that may be worth exploring
• Understanding DSPD services and how the Utah disability-services system works
• Simply helping you organize a complicated situation and decide what to tackle first

Sometimes families need ongoing consultation.

Sometimes they need one really productive conversation.

Both are perfectly valid ways to use this service.

Who it’s for

You do not need to receive DSPD services or have a particular diagnosis to schedule a Family Consultation.

This service may be helpful if:

• You’re concerned about a behavior and aren’t sure what to do next
• You’ve tried multiple strategies and nothing seems to stick
• Something that used to work has stopped working
• Your family is struggling with a routine, transition, or new challenge
• You’re receiving conflicting advice and need help sorting through it
• You want to better understand what may be influencing your family member’s behavior
• You need practical ideas that actually fit your household
• You’re preparing for a school, DSPD, or other service meeting and want help organizing your thoughts
• You’re trying to understand disability services or available resources
• You simply want an experienced professional to look at the situation with you and ask some different questions

You don’t have to wait until something becomes a crisis to ask for help.

And you don’t have to know exactly what kind of help you need before reaching out.

What to expect

1. Tell me what’s happening

   Start wherever you are.

   Tell me a little about your family member, what’s going well, what’s difficult, what you’ve already tried, and what you’re hoping could be different.

   You don’t need to organize the story perfectly before contacting me. That’s part of what I can help with.

2. We talk it through

   We’ll spend time understanding the situation rather than jumping immediately to a solution.

   I’ll ask questions, look for patterns, help you think about what may be influencing the situation, and share relevant behavioral strategies, resources, or options.

   You bring your knowledge of your family member. I bring another perspective. We figure it out together.

3. Leave with something useful

   My goal is for you to leave the consultation with greater clarity and practical next steps.

   That might be a strategy to try, something new to observe, a resource to explore, questions to take to another professional, changes to make in a routine, or simply a clearer understanding of what may be happening.

   I don’t want you leaving with a giant list of things you should be doing. I want you leaving knowing what makes sense to try next.

4. Decide what comes next

   Some situations may benefit from additional consultation, observation, or follow-up. Others won’t.

   There is no expectation that Family Consultation become an ongoing service. We can decide together whether another session would be useful based on what happens next.

Common questions

Do we need to be receiving DSPD services?

No.

Family Consultation is a private service and is available to families whether or not their family member receives DSPD services.

If your family member does receive DSPD services and their needs involve significant behavioral concerns, we can also discuss whether DSPD-funded Behavior Consultation might be an appropriate option.

Does my child or family member need a diagnosis?

No.

You don’t need a particular diagnosis in order to ask for help with behavior, routines, problem-solving, or family support.

If the situation involves needs that fall outside my professional scope, I’ll be straightforward about that and help you think about what kind of professional or resource may be more appropriate.

Is this ABA therapy?

No.

Family Consultation is not a traditional ABA treatment program. I use my training and experience as a behavior analyst to help families better understand behavior and identify practical strategies, but consultation is individualized around the specific questions and needs you bring.

There are no required weekly hours or predetermined treatment package.

Can you observe my family member at home or in another setting?

In some situations, observation may be useful because seeing what happens in the actual environment can provide information that is difficult to capture in conversation alone.

We can discuss whether observation would add value and what would be appropriate for your particular situation.

Can you attend meetings with us?

Potentially.

Depending on the situation, I may be able to help you prepare for a school, DSPD, or other service-team meeting, review information beforehand, or attend in a consultative role when appropriate.

We’ll talk about what you’re hoping to accomplish and whether my involvement would be useful.

Can you help us navigate DSPD?

Yes.

I’ve spent years working within Utah’s disability-services system and can help families better understand services, terminology, team processes, and questions they may want to ask.

I can’t make eligibility or funding decisions on behalf of DSPD, but I can help make a complicated system feel more understandable.

How many sessions will we need?

Maybe one. Maybe several.

I don’t believe in creating an ongoing service simply because we can.

We’ll start with the problem you’re trying to solve. If one consultation gives you what you need to move forward, wonderful. If additional support would be useful, we’ll decide that together.