The hard part isn't deciding to get help. It's finding the right place, fast.
I help families and attorneys place young people in the right treatment program, coordinating admission, logistics, and court timelines, and drawing on a national network of more than 300 programs.
I'm not a therapist and I'm not a lawyer, and I won't pretend to be either. For five years I ran the case management department inside a Joint Commission accredited residential treatment center, so I've spent years on the receiving end of these placements, watching which ones hold and which fall apart in the first week.
Two people call me. Both are out of time.
Families
You know your child needs help, but the system is a maze and the clock is running. I find the right program for the situation, handle the admission and logistics, and stay with you through the transition so nothing slips.
Attorneys
Your client needs treatment arranged as a condition of bond or sentencing, and the court wants something concrete. I line up an appropriate placement and the documentation you need to bring the judge, working in coordination with you, not around you.
Placement, handled end to end.
Intake & matching
I gather the full picture, the needs, history, logistics, and funding, and match it against the programs that actually fit, not just the ones with an open bed.
Admission coordination
I manage the moving parts between you and the program: assessments, paperwork, timing, and the back-and-forth that usually stalls a placement.
Court & attorney coordination Specialty
For court-involved cases, I arrange placement on the court's timeline and prepare the documentation your attorney presents to the judge.
Transition & aftercare support
Placement isn't the finish line. I stay on through the handoff and help coordinate what comes next, so the work doesn't unravel after admission.
What this is, and what it isn't.
Being precise about scope protects your family. It's also how you know my recommendations answer to you.
What I do
- Coordinate and navigate treatment placement
- Advocate for your family through the process
- Work my national network of programs
- Manage admission logistics and timelines
- Coordinate with courts and attorneys
- Support the transition into care
What I don't
- I'm not a clinician. I don't assess, diagnose, or provide therapy. Clinical decisions are made by the program's licensed team.
- I'm not an attorney. I don't give legal advice. I coordinate in support of your counsel.
- I never accept referral fees from programs. I'm paid only by my client, so my recommendations serve you, not a facility.
I'm not here to find you a program. I'm here to keep you out of the wrong one.
Most of the work is knowing what to walk away from. These are the things that make me say no, the ones a family can't see from a brochure or a polished tour.
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The bed that isn't really there
"We have availability" on the phone has a way of disappearing by the time your child is in the car. I confirm the real bed, not the hopeful one.
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A program that can't hold the acuity
Some will accept the admission, then send your child home a week later when it turns out they can't safely manage what's actually going on. I screen for what a program can truly handle, not just what it will say yes to.
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A census-driven yes
An empty bed is pressure. I can usually hear when a program needs the admission more than your child needs that program.
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Turnover you can hear in one call
When the people answering the phone don't really know their own clinical model, that tells you what the floor looks like. It matters a lot more than the website.
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A step-down plan that only exists in conversation
Placement isn't the finish line. If there's no real plan on paper for what comes after, the whole thing tends to unravel a month in. I place against the discharge, not just the admission.
Questions to ask any program before you say yes.
You can use these on any tour or intake call, whether or not we ever work together. The answers tell you more than any brochure will.
- "What is your staff-to-resident ratio overnight, not during the day?" Daytime numbers look great on a tour. Nights and weekends are when thin staffing actually shows.
- "Who handles a psychiatric crisis at 2am, and how quickly can they get there?" If the answer is vague, the plan for the worst moment doesn't really exist yet.
- "What is your real average length of stay, and how often does it match what you're quoting me today?" A number quoted up front that never matches reality tells you how the rest of the stay will go.
- "When does discharge planning start, and who owns it?" If it starts the week before discharge, your child leaves with no real next step and the gains tend to unravel.
- "Could my child's needs turn out to be more than you can hold, and what happens if they are?" You want an honest answer about transfers now, not a surprise after admission.
- "Can I talk to the clinician who would actually run the case, not just the admissions team?" Admissions sells the program. The clinician tells you whether it fits.
One more thing. If a program gets defensive about any of these, that's an answer too.
I know the system because I built inside it.
For five years I directed case management at a residential treatment center, building the department from the ground up and a national referral network of more than 300 programs.
I later founded Teryli Systems, a platform for the placement, referral, and discharge coordination that usually lives in spreadsheets and someone's memory. This service is the hands-on side of that same work: sitting with families and getting a young person into the right place.
I'm not a clinician. I'm the person who knows the system, has the relationships, and makes it move when a family can't afford to wait.
Follow the money. It should answer to you.
The program pays them a fee when you enroll. So the bed that pays the best can quietly start to look like the bed that fits the best, and you never get to see the difference.
Only by you, at a flat fee we agree on up front, and never one dollar from any program. The recommendation you get is the one I would make if it were my own kid.
For attorneys: if the bench or opposing counsel asks why this program, the answer is clinical fit, not a referral fee. The recommendation holds up under cross-examination because there's no financial interest behind it.
Start with a free call.
Every engagement begins with a 20-minute conversation about what's going on, what you need, and whether I'm the right person to help.
If it's a fit, you get a clear flat fee before any work begins. No hourly meter, no surprises.
Court-involved and complex cases are quoted by case. Hourly navigation available for families who need guidance rather than a full placement.
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The sooner we connect, the more options stay open. Reach out and we'll set a time.
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