WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“I am eternally grateful to Stephanie for the skillful and caring way in which she has helped guide my son to reach a potential that we truly did not know was possible. When she started working with my child, he was unable and unwilling to participate in group activities, greet others appropriately, ask for help, negotiate with peers, and he was often so frustrated and discouraged that our family life suffered tremendously. Through her kind and playful, yet firm, guidance, Stephanie has taught my son the missing social pieces that he desperately needed to be successful in personal relationships. She not only designed specific lessons for my child, she worked with his pre-school teachers and our family to reinforce the skills that he learned. My son had playdates, guided by Stephanie, that enabled him to develop true and lasting friendships with his peers. By teaching him step by step the building blocks of social interaction, Stephanie opened the door of possibilities to my child so that he is now a flourishing, happy kindergartner. I deeply admire Stephanie for her creativity in problem-solving unique methods for teaching my child and meeting him exactly where he is at any given time Her authentic caring for children of all types of challenges is simply amazing. I thank my lucky stars that we found this gem of a helper for our son!”
~ Mandy, parent of 6 year old client

“Our son was in pre-school when he began working with Stephanie in a play group.  Her creativity, empathy and communication style were highly effective at teaching our son social skills in a guided setting with peers that he was later able to generalize.  As our son has matured and become more successful socially, Stephanie’s work has been adaptable.  She has offered support at times he needed help, such as when 5th grade suddenly went to Zoom due to Covid lock downs and when he navigated the increasingly complicated social relationships of middle school.  She has also been a terrific resource for our family and our son’s educators as we developed and revised IEPs over the years.   Stephanie’s ability to spark the interest of a child…and teenager…so that they engage in social interactions is remarkable.  She has been an invaluable member of our son’s team.”

 ~ Dana, parent of 14 year old client

“I first met Stephanie when she came to support one of my students at the school with his social skills.  It quickly became apparent that Stephanie's work was beneficial not only for that student, but for the entire student-body. Her communication style and mentorship to my staff and I were always of the highest professional standing and most respectful of our classroom routine.  Stephanie was a strong support for my student's family as well, and has provided the necessary and consistent link for my student's social and school life, in general. My staff and I continue to use the tools she left us to this day - with our current charges. Naturally, when I was seeking a professional evaluation this year, I immediately thought of Stephanie. I highly recommend Stephanie Gorman as an outstanding professional in her field, who cares deeply for the children and families she works with.”
~ Violetta Alexander, owner and lead teacher of Silk Road Montessori

“I learned so much from watching you about how to give social cues that were clear and practical.  The way you work was also such a beautiful confirmation of how information can be shared and evolution can happen without force or shaming but with kindness, understanding, encouragement, intuition, and play. You really have a gift for connecting with and assisting the reticent or anxious child without judgement, and for seeing the innate goodness and sweetness in even a kid who on the outside is really struggling. You know when to challenge and when to be flexible,  and that really increased our son's confidence and feelings of sucess. It's been a remarkable experience and I loved being there watching things unfold. I so wish there could be "play coaches" like yourself floating around every school and playground. But for now I am selfishly happy that my own child got such an enormous benefit.  These skills have been integrated into his everyday life in ways that make his days less stressful and more joyful- and that is exactly what we wanted for him.”
~ Michelle, parent of 7 year old client

“Stephanie Gorman has been working with my daughter Bea for the last two years and she is amazing!  She’s done home visits, had weekly “play sessions” at Bea’s preschool and now leads her in playgroups.

I’ve seen my daughter blossom under Stephanie’s care.  Bea now comes up to other kids and asks them to play, greets people, is more flexible in her play, and is better able to communicate her needs.  Several minutes-long tantrums have subsided and now “Bea” recovers from upsets quickly.  

In our two years together, Stephanie has offered so many ideas and strategies for helping my daughter.  Her bag of tricks is huge!  She meets Bea where she’s at-- whether it’s an interest in robots, an invisible friend who is a duck, or fairies.  Stephanie keys in on which way your child learns and teaches concepts I had given up on in just a one hour session.  She is firm and challenges my daughter but is also loving and understanding.

Bea would not be where she is today without Stephanie.  And I can’t thank Stephanie enough!”
~ Gretchen, parent of 5 year old client

“Our son has been meeting with Stephanie for almost a year now. We appreciate her warm, personal approach with him, the tactful yet direct ways she uses their real-time interactions to make larger points about social interactions, and the way she shares ideas, tips, and tricks with us that we can use to support the work they do together. She’s helped facilitate real, noticeable growth in him and helped provide structure we use to uphold their work.”
~ Erin, parent of 14 year old client

“She is a great problem solver and continually works with us to get at the root of a problem so Max may find appropriate and effective ways to communicate his needs.  Stephanie is always open and willing to collaborate with other professionals who work with Max. It is this type of team spirit that Stephanie possesses and employs to ensure each client’s success.

I would not hesitate to recommend Stephanie to any family that needs her wealth of knowledge and expertise!”
~ Becky, parent of 19 year old client

“Our daughter has significant difficulty with social interactions due to challenges with communication and social awareness. Working with Stephanie has been a real eye-opener for us as to our daughter’s capabilities and desire for social interaction. One of the greatest fears for our daughter is loneliness. The sparkle in her eyes when she has a successful peer interaction during one of Stephanie’s sessions was something entirely new and motivating for our whole family. We heartily recommend Stephanie to all of our friends whose children struggle with similar issues.”
~ Jen, parent of 7 year old client