TherAbilities

Policies/Procedures for
Requests for Observing

TherAbilities’ Therapists and
Programs:

 

TherAbilities staff are
often approached by students, parents, therapeutic support staff, and/or adults
seeking to observe, volunteer, or job shadow to learn more about our therapy
services.  Due to the volume of requests that come to our office,
TherAbilities has created the following information to guide individuals with
these interests.

 

Therapeutic Support Staff:

 

TherAbilities does not
routinely permit therapeutic support staff to conduct visitations/observations
during our clinical programs. However, in some child specific circumstances, a
child’s therapist will meet with therapeutic support staff and
parents/guardians to discuss specific questions and to collaborate as a team on
child and family specific needs.  All therapeutic support staff requests
should go through the child’s parents/guardians and/or by contacting the
appropriate TherAbilities’ therapist.  Either our office manager or
therapist will communicate back as quickly as our clinical schedules
permit. 

 

High School or College
Students seeking to volunteer, observe, job shadow,

School-based Therapists

 

(1) Inquire first with the
special education office in your home school district as to the availability of
job shadowing opportunities.  Typically, districts are most interested in
making these opportunities available for their own district’s students.

 

(2) If, after you inquire
with your district’s special education office, you learn that TherAbilities
staff provide the therapy services you seek to observe in school settings—ask
the following questions of the district special education office:

 

            A. Does the school district special education office
permit/allow high school students to observe therapy services?  If yes,
then go on to B. and C. below.

 

            B.  Are there specific clearances that the
district requires the student to complete in order to pursue this opportunity?
If so, are you willing, able, and/or do you have the required time and
money to acquire these? The district website or staff can typically guide you
through these procedures.

 

            C. Is a “permission to release
information” and/or parent permission form required to allow you to
observe school students who are participating in therapy programs? If so, keep
in mind, that even if a therapist is identified to
address your request—without parent permission—-the therapist cannot
include you in those observations.  Additionally, it will be the
district’s responsibility to provide the clerical staff to complete the parent
permission forms if the district requires these.  

 

D.  If all of the above (A-C) are resolved with the
school district, then the district special education office may provide you
with TherAbilities school-based therapist’s
contact information to approve a school-based observation.  

High School or College
Students seeking to volunteer, observe, job shadow,

TherAbilities’ clinical
therapy programs at 

4210 Linglestown Road,
Harrisburg, PA:

 

TherAbilities’ clinical
office staff periodically permit students to participate as a volunteer during
specific clinical programs such as our group or day camp programs (held on
select Saturdays during the school year or select  days or evenings during
the summer).   Acting as a volunteer permits you to participate actively
in the therapy process, thereby allowing you a more genuine opportunity to
“experience” therapy programs first-hand.   If you are
interested in being considered as a volunteer, please call our office to obtain
a request form.   Our office manager will then be back in touch to inform
you about whether available options exist.  You should plan ahead when
making these requests—as we often have 3-6 month waiting lists.   

 

Parents seeking to observe
school-based therapy service

delivery for his/her
child/student:

 

School-based therapy staff
adhere to the parent observation rules followed by the school district in which
they are practicing.  Parents who have these specific requests should
direct them to his/her child’s school principal and/or special education
office.  

 

Parents  seeking to observe our clinical therapy
service

delivery for his/her child:

 

We routinely support
parents participating in portions of their child’s individualized therapy
program.  We do, however, limit
“live” parent observations during group and day camp programs because
the presence of parents is typically disruptive to group programs/services.
Additionally, we don’t have the available time to pursue parent
permission from for all the clients involved in our group or day camp
programs. 

 

We do sometimes design observation
opportunities through the use of video-taping and or remote camera options.
Please discuss your specific request with your child’s therapist and/or
our office manager—and we’ll be back in touch about our available options.