A.P.

Courtney Kowalczyk has been more of a blessing to our family than I can say.  Our son has complex special needs that we have struggled to obtain an accurate diagnostic picture of for years.  We found Horizons, oddly enough, after doing a national search through extended family and friends, because we had reached a crisis point in meeting our son’s educational needs.  Courtney’s wealth of experience both as a psychologist and as a special education teacher gave her the professional expertise to fully assess and establish a treatment plan for our son’s needs, and to make recommendations for his educational programming.  Her warmth, authenticity, and genuine commitment to our family have empowered a deep connection between her and our son that continues to help all of us to evolve together, so that he can reach his fullest potential.  Since he began working with her his sleep has improved, his diet has been even, and he has begun to move developmentally after being stuck for years.  Friends and family notice him being more engaged and outgoing, more relaxed, easier to redirect, and invested in learning new skills.  His language development and drive to communicate has begun to take off.

Courtney has gone above and beyond for our family.  She has been an educator, a counselor, and a skilled advocate in the community.  She has helped us to put our best foot forward with the many professionals who have needed to collaborate on his behalf, especially in our efforts to advocate for his educational needs.  She is patient, thoughtful, wise, and encouraging.  She sees our son as a whole child and has helped us to enrich his life physically, emotionally, and developmentally.  For the first time in his life I feel confident that he has everything he needs to progress and to fulfill his potential, and we owe that to Courtney.  

It is easy as a parent of a child with special needs to feel isolated, alone, and overwhelmed by the systems the child needs to access to thrive.  Our family has been lucky to have had the love and support of many people on our journey, but it took us ten years to find people with the expertise and will to understand every aspect our son’s development, and who were able to connect us with the full range of resources that would help him.  The relief I feel to have Courtney to go to when we hit a bump or arrive at a complex new transition point is beyond words.  I wish we had found her ten years ago, and am so grateful that we found her when we did.