TherAbilities

Pediatric Therapy Services

4210 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112

phone (717)540-9218 fax (717)545-3127 www.therabilities.com

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.