Putting agency back where it belongs 

Traditionally, transition planning is performed by the school district, and parents are rarely included in the assessment process. This has always boggled my mind because I believe that parents are one of the biggest influencers and long-term supporters of their children. So, why aren't parents more involved in this process? AND, why aren't we empowering parents AND their teen or young adult in transition planning earlier and more often? 

The answer is because no simple and practical tool exists. While parents are concerned, even anxious about preparing their adolescent for adulthood, they don't know where to start, they don't know what specific skill sets are involved in adulthood, nor do they have a systematic way to know where to put their valuable resources of time, energy, and money. Until now.

The Bright Life System empowers parents with a 3-step system to 1) paint a detailed picture of their adolescent now, 2) evaluate their adolescent's current skills against necessary adult skill sets using the Bright Life Inventory to determine adult readiness, and 3) create a plan with actionable information to make meaningful things happen immediately.

Setting you up for success

The Bright Life System is offered in a self-paced online course format. In this course, you'll be taught my 3-step transition planning system and the important mindsets that I use with my clients to get them in the right headspace to get real and stay positive. You will also be given the Bright Life Inventory™️, a tool with over 400 curated adult skills that I believe are the best ways to evaluate someone's adult readiness. Results from completing this course will result in actions and a curriculum that will guide your attention, energy, and resources to help your adolescent build adult skills now.

An expert in your pocket

The Bright Life System™️ takes my comprehensive evaluation system that I've refined for the past 20 years as clinical psychologist who specializes in the support of individuals on the autism and disability spectrum and puts it directly into your hands. Comprehensive transition evaluations conducted by professionals are thousands of dollars for one evaluation, making them cost-prohibitive for many. The Bright Life System™️ is a fraction of the cost, can be done immediately, at your own pace, and repeatedly over time. Best yet, the system encourages collaboration and joint problem-solving between you and your adolescent, encouraging your adolescent's agency on shaping their own life. 

Reduce anxiety

Systems are antidotes for anxiety, directing worry and fear into a productive outlet. Transition planning brings massive worries. This stems from many things, but mostly from not having a way to think about transition, not clearly knowing what adult skills are necessary for healthy interdependence, and not knowing what to do with the information that is collected. To make things even more complicated, thoughtfulness and expertise is necessary when adding in the complexities of neurodiversity and disabilities. The Bright Life System™️ provides a home for this information with Mari-Kondo-style organization already built into every room. Anxiety is folded neatly and handled. Ah...now that brings joy.

Emotions & Planning Matter

The more that I conduct transition assessments, the more that I'm acutely aware that emotional control and executive functioning is key to thriving in adulthood. No other life skill inventory includes these skills (and one of the main reasons why I decided to make my own). The Bright Life System™️ highlights and includes these skills, giving them front and center stage where they need to be. Rest assured that the Social-Emotional skills in The Bright Life Inventory™️ are aligned with the 5 competencies from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and that the Executive Functioning (EF) skills were selected based on evidence and research. 

Find the path forward now

The Bright Life System™️ will help you determine a path of action with eyes on preparing for adulthood that is safe, healthy, and happy. Don't know how or where to start? This system will show you. Feeling overwhelmed and anxious about transition planning? Put your energies here and turn them into productive actions. This system is intended to be done at least yearly, giving you objective and longitudinal information about adult skills and your adolescent's need for intervention and support. 

Results will help understand where your adolescent, teen, or adult is in the following domains: Social-Emotional Skills, Executive Functioning, Safety, Personal Management, Housing, Money, Transportation, Food Management, Legal Issues, Work-Related Skills, and Learning-Related Skills (post-secondary, vocational). 

Results from the Bright Life Inventory™️ directly translates to curriculum and can shift an IEP or IPP from goal chasing to meaningful action. 

This system can also be used by school districts and regional center caseworkers to meet legal obligations, keeping them out of trouble by promoting real learning and necessary supports.