Your teen is in the right place
“Success Coaching is like putting black beans in brownies.”
Neurodivergent Teens need spaces where they can be themselves AND gain skills to help them exist in a world that wasn’t designed for them.
Left of Center is here to bridge the divide between the worlds of neurodivergence and neurotypical.
Personalized Coaching sessions allow teens to explore success and confidence through the lens of their interests. A customized 12-week plan supports learning new skills like scheduling, breaking tasks down into smaller chunks, and setting compassionate goals.
How it works
Mentor Support
Learning about your interests and values comes first
Executive Functioning
Giving you the organizational tools to actually reach your goals
Emotional Awareness
Helping you remember what you’ve accomplished for your next adventure!
Let’s Brainstorm
Together in this 20-minute discovery call, we’ll talk through who your young person is and how I can support a current challenge they are facing!
How I approach working with teens and their families
Why coaching matters
“Every kid is ONE caring adult away from being a success story”
As a kid who struggled to fit into a world that wasn’t designed for them, I know firsthand how critical a positive, supportive adult (outside of my parents) would have been CRUCIAL in the many difficulties I faced throughout my teenage years and early adulthood.
As a highly sensitive person, I felt othered, alone, and isolated. To cope, I developed unhealthy coping mechanisms like people pleasing and perfectionism, which finally crumbled while I was in graduate school, receiving my master’s in work with kids with emotional and behavioral disturbances at George Washington University.
At this moment, I was forced to face my “otherness” and begin to learn who I was behind the mask. I slowly began accepting my unique gifts and learning to work with a brain and body that didn’t quite fit into society.
I originally went into teaching to be a positive adult in young people’s lives. After ten years of teaching special education in Washington DC’s public school system, I realized the greatest impact I could have is working one-on-one with the kids who needed it most, just like me.
Coaching matters because it saves lives, gives kids the confidence they need to THRIVE in their unique identities, and offers our wild world a shot at learning from some of the most impressive minds ever to exist, your kid!
Parent of a client
“Emily takes an inventive and inspirational approach to working with kids with learning and social challenges. She has motivated our son to do some amazing things. She is empathetic, fun and, as a veteran DCPS special Ed teacher, deeply experienced in motivating children who learn differently.
Parent of a client
“She turns what interests her students into unique learning adventures. Our son is not an easy student, but he looks forward to his visits with Emily every week. “
Click on the image below for testimony from the parents of my longest-standing client!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Kids that thrive in my coaching practice are creative, weird, and usually struggle in traditional school settings. They may enjoy niche subjects but struggle with the planning needed to execute traditional tasks like homework completion or finishing chores!
Families looking for a coach to “fix”, change, or make their child get straight A’s won’t find this practice as a good fit. Though I support kids in bridging the gap between neurodivergent and neurotypical I am definitely anti-perfectionism!
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Our basic package includes twelve 50-minute weekly sessions for students and two 20-minute sessions for parents/caretakers for $2,600
In-person sessions add $30 per visit.
First-time families are also highly encouraged to add six family coaching sessions for $185 an hour to support holistic changes as a unit!
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Results are like favorite ice cream flavors and vary from person to person!
Most families that work with me report that their kids are more willing to try new things, less stressed, and have increased self-awareness.
Parents who select coaching with me in addition to their teen’s sessions tell me they understand their child better, feel less overwhelmed, and are more willing to encourage their students independe’s independence.
Teens add that they are more confident about themselves and their needs and that they feel more comfortable advocating for themselves!
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In short, coaching is the practice of using your strengths to build your future, while therapy looks at your past to help integrate challenging experiences.