Therapeutic Educational Consultant vs. Educational Consultant: What's the Difference?
Understanding which type of support your family needs
If you're reading this, you're likely seeking support for your child's educational or mental health journey. This can be an overwhelming and emotional time, and understanding the difference between types of educational consultants is an important first step in finding the right help for your family.
What is an Educational Consultant?
Educational consultants assist families in finding suitable educational placements that cater to a wide range of needs. They specialize in areas like college placement, graduate school applications, private day schools, and traditional boarding schools.
These consultants typically focus on academic fit, extracurricular opportunities, school culture, and helping students present their best selves in applications.
What is a Therapeutic Educational Consultant?
A therapeutic educational consultant brings both clinical and educational expertise to the consultation process. While they can help with traditional school placements, their specialized training allows them to work with students who have more complex needs, and as we like to say at Crossbridge, something “spicy” in their profile, whether that be learning needs, neurodivergence, or just never having found the right fit.
Clinical Background: Most therapeutic consultants have backgrounds in mental health, as licensed clinical social workers, psychologists, or other mental health professionals. Others are educators who have been working clinically adjacent with mental health professionals for a long time, and fully understand the mental health needs of their clients.
Holistic Approach: Rather than focusing solely on academic fit, therapeutic consultants delve into the social-emotional needs of their clients. They assess not just what a student needs academically, but what kind of therapeutic support, structure, and environment will help them heal, grow, and ultimately thrive.
When Do You Need a Therapeutic Educational Consultant?
You might benefit from working with a therapeutic educational consultant if your child is experiencing mental health challenges, behavioral difficulties, substance use issues, social struggles, learning differences combined with emotional challenges, or need for therapeutic intervention alongside education.
The Assessment Difference
Educational consultants typically evaluate academic performance, learning style, extracurricular interests, and school preferences.
Therapeutic educational consultants consider all of the above, plus mental health history, family dynamics, social-emotional development, coping strategies, need for therapeutic intervention, and safety considerations.
Different Types of Programs
Educational consultants typically work with traditional private day schools, boarding schools, colleges and universities, graduate programs, and international schools.
Therapeutic educational consultants work with all of the above plus therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers, wilderness therapy programs, day treatment programs, specialized schools for students with learning differences and emotional needs, transitional programs for young adults, recovery programs, in have resources for in-home therapeutic supports.
The Crossbridge Approach
With so many options available, finding the right path for your child can feel daunting. The key is understanding your child's unique challenges and choosing a professional whose expertise aligns with where your family is in your journey.
At Crossbridge, we bring warmth, compassion, and professional expertise to support families through every step of this journey. We're case managers and placement specialists, offering personal support that moves far beyond any checklist of services. We visit and evaluate 100+ schools and therapeutic programs annually, understanding their unique approaches and strengths. This allows us to match clients with the right school, program, therapist, and peer group, resulting in better outcomes sooner.
We want you to experience change that lasts.
If you're unsure which type of consultant might be right for your family, we're happy to discuss your child's unique needs and help you determine the best path forward. Click here to learn about Crossbridge and schedule a time to chat.
If you are looking for a college, graduate school, or international consultant, a great source is the Independent Educational Consultant Association. We are also happy to provide references to colleagues; just let us know.
