US students turn to homework therapists
Clinicians carving out new niche in tutoring sector by offering coaching services
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Homework therapists - an amalgam of a traditional tutor and straight-up therapist - provide academic help and emotional support. But the service is not cheap - New York parents generally pay between US$200 (S$263) and US$600 for regularly scheduled in-person sessions ranging from 50 to 75 minutes.
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
NEW YORK • On a recent Sunday, Dr Bari Hillman, who works during the week as a clinical psychologist at a New York mental health clinic, was perched at a clear, plastic desk inside a 16-year-old's bedroom, her shoeless feet resting on a fluffy white rug. She was helping a private school sophomore manage her outsize worry over a long-term writing project. The student had taped the project outline on the wall above the desk, at her prodding. It was designed to serve both as a reminder that the project was due, and an empowering indicator of progress.
Dr Hillman mused about the way worry can morph into unhealthy avoidance, the cathartic power of deep breathing and the soothing nature of to-do lists.
