Franklin Academy's Counseling Staff -- Vince Schmidt, Pamela Mazza, Deb Hulien, Rebecca Hays (Clinical Director), Barbara Hughes & Chris Carlin. These experienced mental health professionals average almost 21 years in clinical and school work, and 100% have advanced degrees.

To the best of our knowledge, Franklin Academy is the only accredited college preparatory boarding school in the country to specifically serve students identified with Nonverbal Learning Differences or diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Please note, however, that Franklin Academy is not a residential treatment center or a therapeutic boarding school.

Our philosophy, staffing patterns, and range of services do not allow for:

• 1-to-1 tutoring on a regular basis
• 1-to-1 supervision during unstructured time periods
• Sustained therapeutic interventions to address emotional upset or dysfunction
• Sustained implementation of complex behavior modification systems

Certain students need and deserve 1-to-1 tutoring and supervision, as well as sustained interventions, and some of our students move from Franklin to a more therapeutic program. Such an outcome should not be seen as a failure by the school or a failure by the student. Indeed, enrollment at Franklin Academy and participation in our program are part of the on-going diagnostic assessment of each student. If it becomes evident that the school does not offer the level of structure and range of therapeutic services that a student requires in his or her life to make developmental progress, then we will work with the family to secure a more appropriate placement. Toward that end, Franklin Academy does not impose on any family an unconditional obligation in the enrollment contract to pay tuition, room, and board for the entire school year. Instead, a family is only required to pay for the quarter in which the child is enrolled.

Throughout their time at Franklin Academy, all of our students are likely to run into at least one social or academic "roadblock" at some point in their adolescence. These obstacles can range from difficulty in getting up in the morning or making new friends, to completing an extended research paper, to coping with a change in medication. This time of life is not smooth or easy, and our students can also be challenged by other complicating factors in their lives.

At Franklin, we love the opportunity to work with our students to address these issues and to devise creative plans to overcome whatever obstacle may be in the way. Our goal is always to forge a plan in partnership with each student - a plan that the student comes to "own" - helping our students develop executive functioning and problem-solving skills, self-advocacy, emotional self-regulation, and personal responsibility. We want them to take charge of their lives. While our students may be lacking in certain academic, social, and life skills, they need to be ready for and interested in developing a full range of important skills and moving towards more independent functioning. If a student eschews ownership in the plan or is unable to "step up" to meet the objectives of the plan, then it becomes appropriate to ask whether Franklin can offer the level of structure or services needed to assist that student in making the behavioral changes necessary to be truly successful. It is our hope and expectation, however, that most students who matriculate at Franklin Academy will successfully meet these challenges, grow and develop, earn a diploma and then advance to college.