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About us mobile family life coach

Introduction Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC is an Internet, subscription based service that provides 24/7 access to licensed, screened and professional mental health care and life skill professionals including: therapists, counselors, case workers and other life strategists in an online format. Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC affords families the opportunity to address the emotional and/or behavioral issues of their children professionally, confidentially, conveniently and in the comfort of the family’s homes. The mission of Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC is to increase accessibility for children and their parents to highly competent and professional therapists, and engage in dialogue with them to develop action plans designed to address the underlying causes of the emotional and/or behavioral issues and to ultimately restore harmony to the home.

Background Accessible, affordable and professional mental health care for children is an issue that to date has not been adequately addressed by our nation. In America, the statistics regarding untreated adolescents and children are alarming and indicate that much more needs to be done to improve the quality of life for the children themselves and their families. Because employers are not mandated to provide mental health care through an employee’s health care benefits package, many parents are not financially able to provide their children with access to high quality mental health care, thus leaving 79% of children ages 6-17 with mental disorders untreated and left to navigate their issues unguided and without a clearly defined action plan for success (W.W. Norton & Company Web site , 2005). As our global society continues to be complicated and difficult for adults to navigate, it is important for parents, teachers, schools and other child advocacy organizations to begin to pay more attention to increasing accessibility to mental health care for children and teens and at an affordable cost and in an efficient and convenient manner. High Level Solution In recent years, the rapid development of the Internet and related technologies is having a noticeable impact on the field of psychology and psychotherapy. According to data analyzed based on information provided in the 2000 US Census, 65% of all children between the ages of 3-17 have a computer in the home. This statistic is significant because it affords mental health care professionals and families the opportunity to work in tandem to address the immediate mental health care needs of children and adolescents in a technological fashion that children are familiar and comfortable with (Ewalt, 2001). As a result, of the “computer boom” in America, psychotherapists are embracing the notion of integrating technology into their practices, and are seemingly beginning to rely more and more on technological tools such as videophone, audio and video chat rooms, e-mail and instant messaging to meet the needs of their clients. Increasing professional acceptance of online therapy is best demonstrated by the development of online therapy principles and standards. Some of the major professional organizations have developed or are developing guidelines for online therapy, including the International Society for Mental Health Online, American Psychological Association, National Board of Certified Counselors as well as the American Counseling Association (W.W. Norton & Company Web site , 2005). With the endorsement and acceptance of the “E-Therapy” approaches from prestigious and respected mental health care organizations, compounded with the introduction of the home computer into the mental health care field, it leaves to reason that a larger, broader, cross section of children and their families will and can be afforded the opportunity to reap the benefits of professional mental health care. As it stands, minority and low socioeconomic families often do not have access to mental health care, however, statistically, these demographics report the highest need of mental health care services. Additionally, if childhood mental health care issues continue to go unaddressed, the consequences could be devastating. Currently, it is reported that: • Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in youth aged 15-24 • Over 90% of youth who commit suicide have mental illness • 65% of boys and 75% of girls in juvenile detention have at least one psychiatric disorder • 43% of children who use mental health services also have a substance abuse disorder • 5-9% of children ages 9-17 are affected by a serious emotional disturbance (SED) that causes severe functional impairment (NAMI Alliance on Mental Illness, 2006). What if with the point and click of a mouse, these underserved children could have their unaddressed needs responded to in a structured and secure manner? The impact that convenient and affordable mental health care could provide to families currently living in various stages of disharmony could be the difference between rearing a child equipped to handle emotional and behavioral obstacles and rearing a child that eventually could mature into damaged adults or otherwise dangerously disturbed people.

Solution Details Research shows that early identification and intervention minimizes the long-term disability of mental illness. Understanding that, and with over 30 years of collective experience in the field of working with children and families in social service organizations, Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC, was created in response to requests from families seeking one-on-one consultations and assistance in working through some of the parenting challenges often faced by families today. In providing and delivering these services, Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC uses the home computer and supporting peripherals (i.e., webcams, video phones, etc.) and Internet access to help busy parents and guardians, as well as those in immediate need of assistance in crisis situations, to take control and positively affect the outcome of the crisis or issue. Through creation and implementation of a comprehensive parenting plan, families will learn to put into practice skills to improve their lives and return harmony to the home and family. Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC believes in this online approach because by the nature of the delivery of services, the therapeutic process is encouraged, which leads to easier identification and treatment of the root causes of mental health issues that nearly 80% of the nation’s children suffer from. Upon enrollment with the service, parents and their children are asked to complete a confidential assessment designed to specifically pinpoint the emotional and/or behavioral issues the child is experiencing. This assessment is then analyzed and from it, a comprehensive behavioral plan is developed and sent via email to the family and then formal services and interaction with mental health care professionals begins. Once families begin to use the services offered by Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC parents and children will gain access to various services designed to begin to provide stability to the entire household. Services offered include: • Regularly scheduled online “E-Therapy” • Online parenting skills workshops and chat room sessions • Online life skills workshops and chat room sessions for families • Online behavior management skills for dealing with difficult children • Online access to crisis intervention techniques and strategies • Online techniques for protecting against or preventing bullying behaviors • Online self esteem building skills for children • Daily updated links to local community resources and activities for children Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC’s approach to addressing the needs of children and adolescents suffering from emotional and/or behavioral issues lends itself to supporting families seeking assistance rapidly; which is extremely important, because mental health care issues do not only present themselves during normal “business hours.” Business Benefits From a high level, the design and delivery methods utilized by Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC empower parents and provide children and teens with the ability to make better decisions, improve communication and assist them with developing a measurable plan for success. More specifically, benefits afforded to families that use Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC include: • Returning harmony to the home in a relatively short timeframe • The financial commitment is at nominal cost when compared to traditional psychotherapy fees • The therapeutic process is navigated by licensed therapists and coaches with experience in children and family services. • Services are conducted at the convenience of the family and in the comfort of the family’s home Additionally, the biggest benefit that we have identified is that children, parents and their households, with the assistance and support of Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC, are equipped with tools and strategies that can be used to effectively defuse issues BEFORE they have the chance to irreparably disrupt the household. (Ewalt, 2001) Of all the benefits that Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC offers, the most important is that all services are guaranteed. When is the last time a traditional therapist has assured their clients 100% satisfaction? Summary As the fields of business, medicine and education have triumphantly marched into the 21st Century with significant technological advances, so too has the field of psychology and psychotherapy improved its approaches with the rapid development and popularity of the computer and Internet technologies. By integrating the Internet and its associated technologies to provide and deliver much needed mental health care services to children and adolescents, Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC is able to positively influence and improve the harmony in the home, success in the classroom and social interactions at school. Bottom line, the United States of America has failed to (specifically) identify and serve the disproportionately high number of children and adolescents who are living with some form of mental illness. By providing more families with access to licensed professional mental health care professionals at low cost and using the Internet and a home computer, Mobile Family Life Coach, LLC can effectively serve and change the quality of life for the 80% of children with mental illness in America that currently are going untreated.