We have some exciting news to share with you!  In January, we added a parent liaison to our team.  Our goal was to bring someone on board who can bridge that gap between parents and therapists.  Her focus is to check in with parents and see how things are going,  assist families in obtaining grants to help cover the costs of therapy or other services, assist parents in finding outside resources and services to meet their needs, and assist parents in navigating IEP's and school-based services among other things.  

I've had the pleasure of knowing Tessa for the past 9 years.  She started out like most parents, she knew something wasn't right, despite the assurance from her doctor that things would be okay.  Like most of our families, she wanted to believe what the doctor was telling her.  She was scared, overwhelmed, hopeful, and yet grateful at the same time.  The good news is, she went with her "mother's intuition", and continued to look for answers.  Her son was eventually diagnosed with a chromosome abnormality.  Tessa is not only our parent liaison, she is also a parent to one of our clients. She's been on this journey for the past 11 years and she has learned a lot.  

Tessa has first-hand experience about many hurdles faced by families each day.  She has battled her insurance company and won!  She has advocated for her son and was given additional support in the educational setting.  She has navigated social service support to provide home assistance for her and her family.  She continues to search for support, services, opportunities, and resources to ensure that her son has the same opportunities as everyone else.  And do you want to know something?  I've seen her do this for the families at our clinic!

Running a business has it's challenges.  I can honestly say that hiring Tessa as our parent liaison has been one of the best decisions we have made.  She has made a difference in the lives of the families that come to Helping Hands and we are honored to have her as part of our team!