Your teen needs to get back to school.
You need a plan that actually gets them there.
Maybe every morning has become a negotiation.
They’re too tired. They don’t feel well. They’ll go tomorrow. They want to transfer. They promise Monday will be different. They say they’ll start again next semester or next year.
You’ve tried being understanding. You’ve tried being firm. You’ve taken things away. You’ve offered rewards. You’ve yelled and immediately felt terrible about it.
And somehow, it’s still not working.
Meanwhile, the absences are adding up. You’re worried about their education, their future, and what happens if this continues.
School refusal can make an entire family feel stuck.
I’m here to help you change that.
SCHOOL REFUSAL IS RARELY JUST ABOUT GETTING YOUR TEEN OUT THE DOOR.
When your child stops attending school, it can be easy for everyone involved to become focused on the immediate problem:
How do we get them there tomorrow morning?
But by the time school refusal has become an established pattern, there is usually much more happening inside the family system.
Your teen has learned that avoiding school is possible.
You’ve learned that pushing harder can lead to an enormous fight.
Everyone starts anticipating the morning before it even arrives.
The boundaries change because you’re exhausted.
The consequences stop working.
The negotiations get longer.
And with every day your teen stays home, returning can begin to feel even harder.
You don’t have a bad kid. You’re not a bad parent. And the school isn’t necessarily an awful place. Somewhere along the way, the system stopped working.
My job is to help your family build one that does.
THIS ISN’T WEEKLY THERAPY.
It’s one month of intensive, hands-on intervention designed to help your family change the pattern around school refusal.
School refusal is complicated, and resolving an established pattern requires consistency.
That’s why I created this intensive.
Over the course of one month, I work closely with both you and your teen to understand what is driving the refusal, identify what is reinforcing it, and create an individualized strategy for getting your child back to their education.
We’ll work on what happens at school.
We’ll work on what happens at home.
We’ll look at boundaries, expectations, communication, consequences, rewards, avoidance, and psychological safety.
And importantly, we’ll work with the whole family system rather than expecting your teen to create this change alone.
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Why I do this work:
For four years, I was contracted by some of California’s most prominent school districts specifically to work with students experiencing school refusal.
I worked directly with teens and their parents while partnering with school counselors, administrators, teachers, and IEP teams to help create environments where students felt safe enough and supported enough to return to campus.
Every student I worked with continued their education.
That experience taught me something important:
School refusal requires both compassion and structure.
I am direct. I hold firm boundaries. I’m also deeply compassionate toward the student and the situation that brought your family here.
I use principles from motivational interviewing, family systems work, and boundary work alongside individualized behavioral strategies to help families create meaningful change.
That can include creating psychological safety, rebuilding expectations at home, establishing effective rewards and consequences, improving communication, and helping your teen begin moving toward school again.
There is no universal checklist I hand every family.
We build the plan around your child, your family, and what is actually happening in your home.
THIS WORK REQUIRES THE PARENTS, TOO.
I want to be very clear about this before you invest in working with me:
I cannot do this for you.
I can teach you. I can guide you. I can help you understand what isn’t working. I can model conversations. I can help you establish boundaries. I can troubleshoot difficult mornings with you. I can work directly with your teen.
But as the parent, you are ultimately responsible for implementing these systems and creating change inside your home.
Your child did not develop this pattern in a vacuum.
That doesn’t mean you caused their school refusal. It does mean that the family system surrounding them has to be part of changing it.
For this reason, every adult living in the home needs to be willing to participate in and consistently uphold the plan we create.
If one parent holds a boundary while another removes it, the system won’t work.
If consequences disappear when things get difficult, the system won’t work.
If everyone is waiting for your teen to wake up one morning and decide they’re ready to go back, you may continue waiting.
This intensive is for families who are ready to do something differently, even if you have absolutely no idea what “different” should look like yet.
You don't need to have the answers when you arrive. You do need to be willing to participate in creating them.
WHAT WE’LL WORK ON
Your intensive is individualized to your family, but our work may include:
Understanding the refusal
We’ll look at what is happening before, during, and after school refusal and work to understand what may be driving and reinforcing the pattern.
Creating a school-return strategy
You’ll receive an individualized, step-by-step plan designed to move your teen toward consistent school attendance.
Changing the system at home
We’ll identify household patterns, expectations, and dynamics that may need to change to support your teen’s return.
Setting boundaries you can actually maintain
You’ll learn how to create clear expectations and follow through consistently, including when your teen pushes back.
Building effective rewards and consequences
We’ll create an individualized structure around privileges, responsibilities, rewards, and consequences that makes sense for your teen and family.
Creating psychological safety
Structure and compassion can coexist. We’ll work on helping your teen feel heard and supported while maintaining the expectations necessary for change.
Navigating difficult moments in real time
Because the hardest part often happens between appointments, you’ll have direct texting access to me throughout the month so we can troubleshoot what is actually happening as you implement the plan.
YOUR SCHOOL REFUSAL INTENSIVE INCLUDES
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Two 90-minute intake sessions
One 90-minute parent intake
We’ll take a comprehensive look at the history of the school refusal, what you’ve already tried, your family dynamics, school environment, current expectations and what is happening at home.
One 90-minute teen intake
I’ll meet separately with your teen to understand their experience, build rapport, and begin identifying what may be contributing to their avoidance.
Five virtual sessions per week for one montH
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This is intensive work by design.
Across the month, I’ll meet virtually with parents and your teen as appropriate so we can actively implement the plan, evaluate what is happening, and make adjustments quickly rather than waiting another week when something isn’t working.
Direct texting access throughout your intensive
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You’ll have direct texting access to me during the month so you can ask questions, share updates, and get guidance as you implement our work at home.
Clear guidance for changing the patterns at home that surround and reinforce school refusal.
Your individualized AT Home Behavioral, return And Reward + Consequence plan
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You’ll get a step-by-step strategy built specifically around your teen and the barriers currently preventing consistent attendance.
You'll also get clear guidance on changing the patterns at home that surround and reinforce school refusal.
Plus individualized structure for implementing rewards and consequences consistently and effectively.
THE INVESTMENT
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Your School Refusal Intensive is a one-month private engagement for $8000 and is paid in full before we begin.
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I do not accept insurance.
I can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Reimbursement is determined by your individual insurance plan and is not guaranteed.
THIS MAY BE THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOUR FAMILY IF…
Your teen is repeatedly refusing or avoiding school.
School mornings have become an ongoing source of conflict.
Absences are increasing and you’re concerned about the academic or attendance consequences.
You feel like you have tried everything and nothing is creating lasting change.
Rewards, consequences, conversations, pleading, or punishment haven't worked.
You and your teen are caught in the same cycle over and over again.
You know something about the way your family is handling the situation needs to change.
And most importantly:
The adults in your home are ready to participate.
You don’t need to know what to do yet. That’s what I’m here for. But you do need to be willing to implement the plan, hold boundaries, tolerate some discomfort, and make changes alongside your child.
YOUR TEEN’S EDUCATION DOESN’T HAVE TO STAY STUCK HERE.
When you’re in the middle of school refusal, it can feel like every option has already been exhausted.
It can feel scary.
It can feel frustrating.
It can feel impossible.
But you do not have to figure out the next step by yourself.
If your family is ready for a highly involved, individualized approach to getting your teen back to their education, I’m ready to help you build the plan.