College Success Program℠

Students who have been identified as having a learning disorder, ADHD, or anxiety may not be completely ready to handle the demands of college. Even though many colleges offer learning support resources, some students may lack the self-advocacy or executive functioning skills to effectively avail themselves of these services. Through our College Success Program℠, we position these students for success with strong self-advocacy and problem-solving skills.

We offer coaching and support to adolescents and young adults who are either about to go to college for the first time or had some difficulty during an initial college experience.  

The goal of the College Success Program is to help students organize their time, manage their workload, make effective decisions, learn accountability, and solve problems as they arise. Students participating in this program will benefit from support from trained executive functioning coaches who are passionate about helping their students.

Prior to the start of the Fall semester, students and their families are also invited to attend a workshop to receive guidelines and tips to maximize college success.

This workshop will provide participants with organization strategies, study skills, self-advocacy guidance, and problem-solving tools. Students will meet their coaches, learn tips to help them get started on campus, and receive guidance specific to the college or university they will attend, including review of course syllabi and campus supports. Topics will include:

• Setting up an efficient studying and organizational system (for the dorm room and library)
• Managing class schedules, study schedules, and key dates
• Advocating for oneself with professors, the learning center, and the accessibility office
• Establishing productive relationships with peers and faculty members
• Planning ahead and preparing for long-term assignments, projects, exams
• Battling procrastination and issues with motivation
• Making good decisions and how to be accountable for those decisions
• Balancing work and play
• Understanding one’s own strengths and weaknesses through self-reflection
• Anticipating, addressing, and bouncing back from roadblocks (e.g., issues with course selection, social pressure, time allocation, performance on assignments)

• When: Friday, August 11, 10am – 3pm 
• Where: Child Mind Institute, 215 East 50^th Street, New York, NY 10022

This evening workshop for College Success Program parents will include a discussion about how to nurture student independence and resiliency, how best to monitor student performance and well-being, and how parents can best handle roadblocks and setbacks.  Parent concerns and general challenges faced by most college students will also be discussed.

• When: TBD 
• Where: Virtual

Students enrolled in the program will benefit from ongoing coaching throughout the semester to support the development and implementation of organizational strategies, effective study skills and problem-solving once they are away at college. Communicating weekly for 60 minutes via virtual platform, students and their Child Mind Institute coaches will review coursework, troubleshoot any challenges, and maintain strong skills. Coaches help students maintain and enhance their organization, self-advocacy, and problem-solving skills each semester. Coaching sessions will focus on:

• Organization strategies and study skills for successful independence and academic performance
• Planning ahead for assignments in the upcoming weeks and months
• Self-advocacy for learning support and knowledge of strengths and weaknesses
• Problem-solving for any academic or social difficulties that might arise

• Weekly 60-minute sessions (via virtual platform) to select courses, review syllabi, review coursework concerns, coordinate shared calendars, troubleshoot any problems, and help students to maintain strong organizational, self-advocacy, problem-solving and self-awareness skills.
• Weekly 15-minute check-ins, to monitor plans or troubleshoot any problems.  Coaches will give their students feedback about how they are making progress with the use of these skills, and will also provide constructive ways for improving these skills.
• Additional sessions as needed or requested, for an additional cost.

Coaching is weekly via virtual platform and scheduled with students based on their availability. Regular student attendance is important.

• $4,000 per semester for the College Success Program, Includes weekly coaching and both workshops offered prior to Fall semester
• $1,000 for the student and parent workshops only

Enrollment is on a first-registered, first-served basis. To apply, please reach out to Olive Cowan, Staff Associate at Olivia.Cowan@childmind.org or 646.863.5485.

Full payment is required at the time of registration to reserve your spot.  If a child cannot attend, and we are notified at least 30 days prior to the start date of the program, we will issue a refund, minus a $300 non-refundable deposit for administrative fees. If less than 30 days notification is given, no refund will be provided.