NESCA is currently accepting therapy and executive function coaching clients from middle school-age through adulthood with Therapist, Executive Function Coach, and Parent Coach Carly Loureiro, MSW, LICSW. Carly specializes in therapy for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and individuals who are highly anxious, depressed, suffer with low self-esteem, etc. She also offers parent coaching and family sessions when needed. For more information or to schedule appointments, please complete our Intake Form.

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career exploration

12

The Benefits of Volunteering

By | Nesca Notes 2023

By: Kristen Simon, M.Ed, Ed.S
NESCA Transition Specialist; Psychoeducational Counselor

Volunteering has many benefits for school aged students beginning to participate in transition planning. Many charities and organizations rely on volunteers to continue their services and reach more people. In general, volunteering is a great way to form community connections, achieve a sense of purpose, and boost confidence and self-esteem, all while helping those in need. In thinking about a child’s eventual transition to adulthood, there are many additional hidden benefits to volunteering.

  • Build social connections: Volunteering allows individuals to engage and connect with others in a structured environment. Working with others through task completion towards a common goal is a great way for individuals to form friendships and positive connections in a low-pressure setting.
  • Mental health benefits: Volunteering has been shown to decrease symptoms of depression and loneliness. Many studies have shown that helping others and carrying out altruistic acts makes you happier. In fact, some therapists believe volunteering should be built into a treatment plan in the management of depression.
  • Employment/Transition Skills: Volunteering can help individuals build various skills that will help them in future jobs. Volunteering can help develop leadership skills, one’s ability to work in a team, customer service, following instructions, and punctuality to name a few important pre-employment skills. Volunteering helps individuals learn what type of work they enjoy through exposure to various work activities and work sites. Consistent volunteer work can also help build a young person’s resume.

It may be decided that a good match leads to long-term volunteering; however, it does not have to be a long-term commitment. Consistent volunteering can be a helpful tool in the stressful seasons of the year. Helping others can help to clear your head, reduce stress, and bring a perspective that allows you to engage more fully in your other commitments.

If your child and or family unit is looking for volunteer opportunities, you can start by contacting local animal shelters, senior centers, public libraries, community centers, or food pantries. Other websites to locate family volunteer opportunities in the greater Boston area include:

https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/family-volunteering-boston

https://community-harvest.org/

https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/boston/take-action/volunteer/

 

About the Author

Kristen Simon, M.Ed, Ed.S, has worked with transition-aged youth as a licensed School Psychologist for more than a decade. She has extensive experience working with children and adolescents with a range of learning and social/emotional abilities. Kristen’s strengths lie in her communication and advocacy skills as well as her strengths-based approach. She is passionate about developing students’ self-awareness, goal-setting abilities, and vision through student-centered counseling, psychoeducation, social skills instruction, and executive functioning coaching. Mrs. Simon has particular interests working with children and adolescents on the Autism spectrum as well as individuals working to manage stress or anxiety-related challenges.

Mrs. Simon is an expert evaluator and observer who has extensive working knowledge of the special education process and school-based special education services, particularly in Massachusetts. She has been an integral part of hundreds of IEP teams and has helped to coordinate care, develop goals, and guide students and their families through the transition planning process. Mrs. Simon further has special expertise helping students to learn about their diagnoses and testing and the IEP process in general. She enjoys assisting students, families, and educators in understanding a student’s disability-related needs as well as the strategies that can help the student to be successful in both academic and nonacademic settings. Mrs. Simon has often been a part of teams in the years when students are initially participating in transition services, and she has helped countless students to build the skills necessary to be part of their first team meetings. She is committed to teaching students—as well as parents and educators—how to participate in student-centered team meetings and the IEP processes.

At NESCA, Mrs. Simon works as a transition specialist and psychoeducational counselor. She works with adolescents, their families, and their school communities to identify and build the skills necessary to achieve their postsecondary goals. Mrs. Simon provides transition assessment (including testing, functional evaluations, and observations), program observations and evaluations, case management and consultation, and individualized counseling and skills coaching.

To schedule an appointment with one of NESCA’s transition specialists, please complete our online intake form. 

NESCA is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton and Plainville, Massachusetts, Londonderry, New Hampshire, and Burlington, Vermont, serving clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.

 

18

The Joys of Career Counseling

By | NESCA Notes 2021

By: Tabitha Monahan, M.A., CRC
NESCA Transition Specialist/Counselor

One of my favorite parts of being a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor is career counseling. In an ideal world, work is not just a paycheck. It’s another way for people to find joy and connect to the world and their community in a way that makes sense for them. Whether it is being a young person creating a lemonade stand, going around town to shovel people’s driveways, or getting that first real feel of a work environment and learning the social dynamics of having coworkers and a boss, those early jobs can help a person figure out what they don’t want to do and bring them closer to finding that right job. There is nothing more rewarding than when I get that email from one of my career counseling clients that they rocked their interview and were offered the job.

I’m looking forward to spending the next few months talking about career counseling and the career search process for individuals with disabilities. Career counseling and exploration are a vital part of every teenager and young adult’s life. This is especially true for students with disabilities who are struggling to figure out their next steps. As NESCA’s Director of Transition Services Kelley Challen, Ed.M., CAS, wrote in her last blog, employment in the high school years is an evidence-based method of having better postsecondary outcomes in both college and the workforce.

Career exploration is nothing new. But exploration starts a lot earlier than we think. We have all seen pictures of the first and last day of school that include a board with the student’s favorite color and what they want to do when they grow up. The answers to those questions change over time. If I had the job that I wanted when I was in 5th grade, I would be a zoologist right now! My future dislike of biology notwithstanding, I love the career that I ended up choosing. Still, it is not a career I ever would have thought of when I went off to college.

As we go back to a different world than before the pandemic, we will have to relook at what career exploration means. By the nature of the pandemic, there were lost opportunities for students and young adults to have looked at and tried different careers. So, what can we do instead? One of the best silver linings to come out of the pandemic is the number of YouTube videos and free resources that became available. If a student has never heard of or seen a career, how can they know if they like it or not? So, whether your child is 10, 18, or 25, if they are looking for a new job or a new area to find joy, the first place to start is exploration.

Throughout my summer blog series, I look forward to sharing more about career exploration with the following topics:

  • Career Counseling Services at NESCA
  • Interest Inventories and the benefit of informal career assessments
  • The benefit of informational and practice interviews

 

About the Author

Tabitha Monahan, M.A., CRC, is an experienced transition evaluator and vocational counselor. While she is well-versed in supporting a wide range of transition-aged youth, she is especially passionate and knowledgeable in helping clients and their families navigate the complex systems of adult services and benefits as well as medical and mental health systems. She is further adept in working individually with students of all abilities to empower self-advocacy and goal achievement.

 

To schedule an appointment with one of NESCA’s expert transition specialists or neuropsychologists, please complete our online intake form. 

 

Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA) is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton and Plainville, Massachusetts, and Londonderry, New Hampshire, serving clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.

 

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