Our Goal
Milestones Psychology’s Compass Program provides innovative, evidence-based therapeutic services in settings such as homes, schools, and your neighborhood. We at Milestones have realized a current gap in community-based services. Our community-based services allow us to provide care where patient’s strengths and challenges naturally occur so that we can address them live, in the moment. Working with patients and families in real-life scenarios, we aim to make active progress in situations where in-office treatment is not the most effective. Our experience and current research indicate that interventions in settings where your children spend the most time can be more efficient and more likely to generalize to everyday situations.
Sometimes, challenges can get in the way of access to necessary treatment. For example, a child whose OCD presentation impacts their success with consistently getting to school may be a great candidate for in-home or in-school services. A child whose teachers are struggling with supporting the child in the classroom may be referred for in-school teacher training or direct behavioral work.
Compass clinicians draw from a variety of practice modalities when designing treatment plans. Our Compass team is composed of fully licensed professionals and advanced clinical trainees capable of providing services such as exposure therapy, direct behavioral and psychotherapy, parent and teacher training, and school refusal treatment. Our Compass clinicians are multi-tasking gurus. We aim to provide services that help families in all areas where support is needed; anxiety related to school or other areas of life, family dynamics, school behavior plans, and psychotherapy can all be targeted simultaneously. We have clinicians who are passionate about working with all families.
Our clinicians have also developed specific interests and expertise in various presentations and populations, including early childhood interventions, pre-kindergarten readiness, parent-child and teacher-child interaction coaching, test anxiety, school refusal intervention, and OCD exposure and response prevention therapy for adolescents.
The Compass Program’s goal is to support the growth of each child in their everyday environments by overcoming the barriers that may interfere with more typical in-office treatment.
We offer services in the real world
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School refusal intervention treatment: Compass allows in-home intervention beginning in the mornings before school. Executive functioning tools, behavioral plans and supportive emotion coaching can be built in the home while parents are educated on how to implement the strategies after the clinician transitions out.
School behavior plans: For children with disruptive behavioral or social-emotional concerns in school, a positively reinforcing behavior plan can be helpful to motivate and re-shape patterns of behavior. Plans are developed following an in-school observation, in collaboration with the teachers.
Teacher-child interaction coaching (TCIT): TCIT is a model designed to strengthen teacher-child relationships and increase teachers’ confidence in managing classroom behavior.
Direct behavioral therapy: During certain times of day, children may benefit from 1:1 behavioral therapy support without needing the support of a full paraprofessional. Compass clinicians can push-in to regular classroom activities to support in challenging subjects such as unstructured times or recess. Some children who have benefitted from in-school behavioral therapy have presented with anxiety around a certain subject or time of day, social skills barriers during social times, or dysregulation during transitions.
School consultation: Compass clinicians are always happy to connect with school personnel to consult on classroom dynamics, peer relations, behaviors, and any questions teachers may have.
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Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) adaptations: PCIT and it’s adaptations can be supported in the home environment through live-coaching in your home, either in-person or remotely.
Parent management therapy: Through observation and live coaching, Compass clinicians can engage parents and caregivers in more helpful behavior management strategies for use in the home.
Early childhood anxiety treatments: Partnering with and educating parents is key in aiding children in appropriately navigating and responding to anxiety-provoking situations. Doing this coaching and building exposures in your child’s natural environment can lead to more positive anxiety outcomes.
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder exposure and response prevention therapy: Coaching and exposures with tools to respond to triggering stimuli in your child’s natural environment can help them to overcome OCD and anxiety more efficiently.
PCIT for Selective Mutism: This evidence based behavioral therapy improves verbal and non-verbal participation and reduces parental over-accommodation for children with selective mutism, leading to gains that persist and generalize to real-world settings. With live exposure to different people, places and situations, your child will have opportunities to take an expedited path to conquering anxiety.
Exposure to specific fears or anxieties outside the home: Some children present with specific fears or anxieties such as crowds, subways or dogs. Individualized treatment in your child’s natural environment allows Compass clinicians to gradually and systematically expose them to their fears and anxieties while coaching them on strategies to remain calm and confident.
CONDITIONS WE TREAT
Behavior Challenges
• Defiance
• Disruptive behavior disorders
• Transition difficulties
• Trouble accepting “No” for an answer
• Oppositionality
• ODD
Attention Regulation
• Attention inconsistencies
• Distractibility
• Difficulty following directions
• Difficulty completing work independently
• Hyperactivity
• Impulsivity
Mood
• Mood regulation vulnerabilities
• Depression and sadness
• Self-confidence
Anxiety & OCD
• General anxiety or worries
• Separation anxiety
• Social anxiety
• Selective mutism
• OCD
• School refusal
• ARFID
• Tics
Social Relatedness
• Autism
• Pragmatic language weaknesses
• Inflexibility and rigidity
• Social skills
Trauma
• Grief and loss
• Separation and divorce
• Suicides
• Accidents
• Natural disasters
• Relational aggression
• Terrorist events
• Moves
• Community and school violence
• Sexual abuse
• Physical abuse
• Family violence
• Poverty
• Intergenerational trauma
• Adjustment disorder
• Post traumatic stress disorders
Family Stress
• Parent-child relationship difficulties
• Divorce
• Navigating change
• Family communication
• Sibling conflict
• Life transitions
What makes our Compass Program Different?
All Compass clinicians are fully licensed professionals or advanced clinical trainees.
Our in-depth intake process ensures that we are designing the best treatment plan for your family, matching you with the clinician and treatments that target the reason you are seeking treatment.
We don’t have a single definition of what qualifies as a Compass family. We analyze each family’s unique situation, and if we believe that community-based services may be warranted, that is what we will recommend.
A team-based approach is applied to all cases so that you receive treatment that is expertly tailored to your needs.
Compass clinicians are constantly monitoring for progress and roadblocks. We modify treatment to ensure that progress on your treatment goals is being made.
We are empathetic to the rigorous academic and social standards in NYC schools and want to help. Our clinicians love collaborating with school staff and working within school settings.
Our services aren’t just parent training or direct therapy with a patient. We can provide direct behavioral and/or psychotherapy while simultaneously coaching parents or teachers to use similar techniques when we aren’t around!
Contact us to begin your
Compass coaching!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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The Compass Program’s goal is to support the growth of each child in their everyday environments by overcoming the barriers that may interfere with more typical in-office treatment.
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Milestones Psychology’s Compass Program provides innovative, evidence-based therapeutic services in settings such as homes, schools, and communities. We focus on helping kids learn how to tolerate stress, manage behavior and reactions and building confidence though goal setting and achieving goals in real world settings. Common referral reasons are anxiety in certain community settings, OCD, school refusal, or significant challenges with self-regulation in certain environments or settings. Our team is highly skilled in making behavior plans, improving emotional and behavioral health and working with other professions. In the home setting, we offer Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) adaptations, Parent management therapy, and early childhood management treatment. In schools we offer, Teacher-Child Interaction Coaching (TCIT), direct behavioral therapy, and school consultations. We offer Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD and PCIT for Selective Mutism in a variety of settings.
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The Compass Program distinguishes itself by providing innovative, evidence-based therapeutic services in real-life settings like homes, schools, and neighborhoods. This approach allows us to address challenges as they naturally occur and make active progress where in-office treatment may not be as effective. The Compass Program is often helpful for kids who require more intensive therapeutic intervention and for kids who benefit most from intervention in real world settings where symptoms arise.