Northwest College Support

Dan Hanks discusses the question "Will my child grow out of it?". The answer is NO! That answer might seem harsh, but there is little evidence that change is going to happen if we aren't providing new learning rich opportunities. 

Sometimes when a young person is having a difficult time taking on a new stage of life, parents might want to just wait longer until that person is "ready" for that next opportunity. Most professionals would agree that it doesn't seem that waiting to "just grow out of it" ever seems to work out very well. 

Dan uses the example of playing the piano, you can sit and think about playing the piano all you want, but until you engage and begin to take actual structured practice, you won't be able to play a piano. 

This podcast is a call to action to take on new challenges for yourself or for your loved one. This podcasts asks that we take on new learning rich environments to improve the development of our brain. There is no evidence for non intervention, there is a significant amount of evidence that intervention is better sooner rather than later. 

We hope you enjoy this thoughtful perspective on a question that is frequently asked in the mental health and educational field. 

Jenell Nielsen

Operations Manager

CNF I

Jenell grew up in North Idaho. She graduated from North Idaho College and Christ For The Nations Institute (CFNI) in Dallas, Texas. At CFNI she received her Bachelor’s in Practical Ministry. She has been on many mission trips across the globe and is working with her church to train interns for the mission field. She currently resides in Hayden, Idaho and does administrative work as well as life coaching at Northwest College Support. As a life coach Jenell works with the college students, helping them with life skills and daily living activities. Jenell also performs many of the administrative duties for NWCS in addition to life coaching. When Jenell is not working, she likes to travel, go boating, read, connect with friends, and spend time with her family.

Working on it

Aftercare Specialist

Eastern Washington University

Shem is a graduate of Eastern Washington University with two Bachelor of Arts degrees. Shem enjoys learning about history, playing basketball, watching the Denver Broncos, and local theatrical performances. As an aftercare specialist, ensuring the students that he works with are successful in school, as well as life, is his passion. He believes in the words of Aaron Sorkin that, “education is the silver bullet.” As well as Pericles of Athens who said, “All good things must flow into the boulevard.”

Nadine Lewis

Therapist

Nadine grew up in Northwest Ohio. Nadine attended Wright State University and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work with a minor in Psychology. Nadine continued on to earn her Master’s of Social Work degree at the University of Cincinnati with a focus in children and families. The beginning of Nadine’s career starting at an outpatient mental health clinic and then she transitioned into the public schools and continued providing counseling services to children and their families.

For the past two years, since she has lived in Idaho, Nadine has worked at a residential program in Bonners Ferry, as a therapist. Nadine has a passion for working with children, adolescents and their families. Nadine has experience and enjoys being able to help families bridge the emotional gap that often forms between a struggling teen/adult and their parents. Nadine practices Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Family Systems Theory, Solution Focused Therapy, and Systems Centered Approach. Nadine feels that every individual is different and is always looking for new ways to help the students and families that she meets along the way. When not devoting her time to helping others, Nadine enjoys spending time with her family, her two dogs, snowboarding, hiking, boating on Lake Pend Orielle in Sandpoint, four wheel driving in her Jeep and exploring new places to experience nature and it’s beauty.

Ashley Torgerson

Therapist

Eastern Washington University – LMSW

Ashley is a native to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. After earning her undergraduate degree in social work from Lewis-Clark State College, Ashley spent time as a river rafting, backcountry, and climbing guide for Youth Dynamics Adventures. Following that experience, Ashley became a field guide at Aspiro Wilderness Therapy program, where she discovered her passion for working with people in a therapeutic setting.

Ashley worked as a life skills coach at Northwest College Support while earning her Masters in Social Work from Eastern Washington University. In addition to her role as a therapist at Northwest College Support, Ashley plays an important role in organizing and leading the wide range of recreational activities for students at NWCS. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys softball, hiking, volleyball, nutrition and fitness, and snowboarding. Ashley’s approach to therapy is strengths-based and client centered. Helping clients tune into their own personal gifts and strengths in order to find solutions within themselves to solve problems. Ashley commonly practices Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in her work with clients.

Jamie Jackson

Education Supervisor 

Colorado State University

Jamie grew up in Denver, Colorado and attended college at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. At CSU she received a Bachelor of Arts in History with a Social Studies teaching concentration and a minor in English. She obtained a secondary Colorado state teaching license and went on to teach 9th grade geography in Aurora, Colorado.  After this she moved to Vigo, Spain where she taught English to primary level students and traveled around Europe for over eight months. Jamie recently moved to Spokane, Washington where she acquired her secondary Washington state teaching license in Social Studies. 

Jamie has a passion for learning as well as the overall well being of her students.  She is dedicated to the development and success of her students and is invested in their growth as individuals. Outside of work Jamie enjoys running, hiking, and traveling. 

This is an audio recording by Dan Hanks, founder of Northwest College Support. The discussion if focused on a recent parent question "what's the most important thing I should know?". That question led to a discussion that has happened hundreds of times previously. That discussion is about the concept that the "gap gets bigger", which means that the experiential and developmental difference between young people with mental health or learning needs and their chronological peers tends to get bigger over time. 

This audio recording tells a theoretical story of a young person who when in grade school has only slight difficulties as compared to her chronological peers, then as junior high and high school happen, the young person has more challenges as compared to the other students her age. The final step is college and how the differences in experiences between a student with emotional or learning differences starts to really have a significant gap open up between themselves and the other students. Patterns like this may emerge for students with anxiety, depression, ADHD, high functioning autism, and persons with learning disabilities.

Dan Hanks encourages families, parents, and providers to challenge students as early as possible in the process, and that while "closing the gap" might be impossible, it is possible to keep the gap from growing wider. The key is to ensure that students continue to experience social, emotional, academic, and overall life growth. 

This audio is not about any specific student, but better represents a long term perspective of students who have struggled once they reach secondary or post-secondary levels of education.