Life in Transition Collective

Beyond the Behavior: A Path Forward for Parents

Beyond the Behavior: A Path Forward for Parents
Parenting a child with extreme externalized behaviors can be an isolating and exhausting experience. If you are navigating the complexities of ODD, RAD, OCD, or suicidal ideation, you know that standard parenting advice doesn’t apply to your family.

Beyond the Behavior offers a supportive, non-judgmental space for parents to gain clarity and strategy. Jodie Carvalho, LCSW, and Anthony Carvalho, LMFT, provide expert consultation to help you handle the “big” behaviors while preserving the parent-child bond.

We focus on:

  • Navigating "un-parentable" moments with confidence and calm.
  • Understanding the impact of trauma and neurobiology on your child’s actions.
  • Developing customized scripts and interventions for your unique home environment.
  • Reducing the shame and "blame" often felt by parents of high-needs children.

Investment: $150 per hour | Consultation tailored to your family’s specific needs.

Reach out for a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if we’re a good fit.

Schedule a Consultation
Disclaimer: Consultation is not therapy. This service is educational and consultative in nature and does not establish a therapist-client relationship.

Virtual Appointment Link

Click here to enter Jodie’s waiting room and start your session.

FAQs

1. What is consulting and how is it different from therapy?

Consulting is educational, strategic, and supportive in nature. It provides guidance, tools, and informed discussion supporting you in navigating life transitions.

Consulting is not therapy. It does not involve mental health diagnosis, treatment, or psychotherapy. No clinical records are created, and consulting does not establish a therapist–client relationship.

If therapeutic services are needed, I am happy to help you find appropriate referrals.

Consulting for the Adoption and Foster Care Pathway may be a good fit for:

  • Individuals considering becoming foster or adoptive parents
  • Foster or adoptive parents navigating behavioral or attachment challenges
  • Families preparing for reunification or adoption finalization
  • Parents seeking trauma-informed parenting education
  • Professionals seeking case consultation related to foster/adoption dynamics

Consulting for the Clinicians in Transition Pathway may be a good fit for:

  • Pre-licensed clinicians who are seeking LCSW or LMFT supervision towards their licensure
  • Clinicians seeking guidance on ethical issues, especially those relating to parenting, adoption, foster care, Reactive-Attachment Disorder, and trauma
  • Clinicians seeking guidance in developing their own private practice

No. Consulting is separate from therapy and does not include diagnosis, treatment, or clinical intervention.

Even though we are licensed therapists, consulting services are not provided under our clinical licenses, and are not mental health treatment.

No. Consulting services are not reimbursable through insurance. Superbills or out-of-network claims cannot be submitted for consulting services.

Sessions are collaborative and structured around your specific goals. We may:

  • Clarify your concerns
  • Break down behavioral dynamics through a trauma-informed lens
  • Develop practical strategies and solutions
  • Discuss system navigation
  • Create action steps for your next phase

Sessions are typically 50-60 minutes in length.

The hourly rate is $150 per hour.

If you enroll in a structured program, the total program fee is determined at the start and agreed upon in advance.

Communication outside of sessions exceeding five minutes (including emails, phone calls, document review, or letter writing) is billed separately and prorated at the hourly rate.

Consulting services do not include court appearances, depositions, or expert testimony, as consulting services are not practiced under a clinical licensure.

If written feedback or document review is requested, it is billed separately at the hourly rate. Consulting services are not forensic in nature.

While I respect your privacy and make intentional effort to keep your information and the content of our sessions private, consulting does not carry the same legal confidentiality protections as psychotherapy. Consulting communications may not be protected under therapist–client privilege.

No. Consulting does not include psychological assessment or diagnosis. If a formal evaluation is needed, I can help guide you toward appropriate clinical providers.

Jodie and Anthony bring both professional and lived experience to this work:

Jodie:

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker
  • Experienced working within child welfare systems
  • Former foster parent
  • Adoptive parent
  • Owner of a thriving private practice since 2020

Anthony:

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
  • Executive Director of therapeutic programming
  • Experience working with attachment-related disorders
  • Adoptive parent
  • Owner of private practice and 4 years of leadership experience

We understand the emotional complexity, systemic frustration, and identity shifts that foster and adoptive families experience — from both sides of the table. We also understand the challenges faced by clinicians as they seek to grow their work and step into leadership roles.

This work is deeply personal and deeply informed.

You can reach out through the contact form to schedule an initial consultation. We will clarify your goals and determine whether consulting is the right fit for your needs.