Just heard from the woman we've been working with at In Step and our group IS starting, just a few weeks late. I can wait a few weeks. Again I've heard very good things about them.

One question to those who did individual therapy after/before starting group therapy: how did you know to do that? Did the group leader make the suggestion, or did you just know to do it on your own? And was it behavioral management therapy, or a different kind? We think I/we need help with behavioral management, but are not sure how to go about it.

PP 22:22, it can be a one-time fluke. OP here, my experience with In Step has been poor: they don't respond to messages at all or it takes them weeks to do so. Again, they are not run by 1-2 therapists, they have several therapists and a front office staff. A call back would be nice. Any ways, we went with another provider. It's a pity though we had to waste time waiting for In Step to come around.

It is very surprising to hear that you contacted Cathi Cohen directly and didn't hear back from her. I called In Step on a Friday, when they aren't supposedly even open, and Cathi herself picked up. She talked me me at length and was very open with me about the services they offer and even though my child wasn't a fit for the groups they had starting, she referred me to another practice so I could get the help I needed immediately. I did not get the sense that she was in it for the money because she wouldn't have told me to go somewhere that could help my son more quickly if that were the case.

Try Laura Gilbert at the Play Room (in Fairfax).

http://www.theplayrm.com/Pages/default.aspx

I don't know if she does it now, but she used to have groups for boys with Aspergers. She's very sensitive, pragmatic, and responsive. Her primary focus is NOT on making money, but on helping children and supporting their parents.

For those of you who decided not to wait up for In Step: where did you end up going?

I had a bad experience with In Step....similar to OP. They took my money, promising there would be a group starting soon....and then nothing. And yes, I contacted Cathi Cohen directly. She did not respond to me, even after I left messages for her several times. So it is not just the employees who are unresponsive, but the director herself. In the meantime, I delayed getting help for my child because I kept waiting to hear back from them.

Dear DC Urban Moms,

I am very sorry and concerned to hear of this feedback about responsiveness to you even before you've had the chance to meet our wonderful group therapists. Please know that improving our communication to you not just during the group process but while we take the time to carefully match your child to an appropriate clinical group is a critical goal of ours.

After 17 years of putting together hundreds of effective social skills training therapy groups for children of all ages, I know how complex the group formation process is. It's a very tricky one, and it can be frustrating for us but especially for you.

We intentionally take the time to match children based on an assessment of their social, emotional, and developmental levels, and at the same time remain very cognizant that you come to us with some urgency to get help for your child as soon as possible. We distinguish ourselves by not haphazardly putting disparate groups of children together because we know that these do not offer maximum benefit to the needs of your children. At the same time, waiting on a waiting list for months is unacceptable.

Having said that, we clearly have to be much, much better at communicating with our families during the group building process.

I welcome talking to any of you directly on this. By phone, my cell is 703-346-4268 and by email cathi@insteppc.com.

All the best,

Cathi Cohen
Director - In Step
703-876-8480
www.insteppc.com

I agree with the PP who suggested contacting Cathi Cohen directly. This is her practice and her employees so she needs to know what's going on and have the chance to fix it.

GL!

My DS has been going to In Step for two years. We had no problem getting into a group right away, but decided that individual therapy was better. My DS has ASD and was unproductive in a group setting. He largely needed to work on personal skills before extending it to a group of peers. Now that he has improved his social awareness he may be ready to move into a dyad situation. One on one therapy has really helped him learn self esteem and as such he has become more socialable and empathetic. I am not sure what diagnosis your child has, but it is commonplace for a group to dissipate because individual therapy works better initially. If you opt for individual therapy there, I would highly recommend Mary Shuffleton. She is very responsive and has extensive knowledge.

Have you tried writing to Cathi Cohen herself? I wonder what her response would be. Her books are nice but this is not the first time I am hearing complaints about her practice.

Glad to know we're not the only ones who had a really bad experience with In Step.

It sounds like they are stalling until they collect enough kids for a feasible group. I have read complaints in the past about inappropriate/ineffective groupings at In Step

OP here. We were also told that groups will start in January, but no one mentioned low enrollment. However, the lack of response has been amazing, we are not used to therapists not responding at all. And then we got an e-mail saying that they have been having some personal problems, emergencies, etc. I sympathize with emergencies but they are not a one-person shop, someone could've answered us before.

We are currently in the same boat. We tried to get into an In Step group this past fall, but they met on a day of the week that was the one day we absolutely could not do. So they said wait until November. Here it is January and our group is supposed to start this coming week, but they've said they may have to cancel it and wait some more due to low enrollment. I'm not upset with them, just frustrated that we haven't been able to get started. I've been wary of other group programs because I've heard that In Step is one of the few that actually work. We're going to stick it out for a few more weeks to see what they can come up with, and then look elsewhere.

We did initial intake for social skills group several months ago, paid a hefty intake fee, and then nothing. In 2.5 months they haven't been able to put a group together or find a group for DS. They are not very responsive to follow-ups. We ended up going with another provider, who put everything together and identified a group in just under 2 weeks. Has anyone else had a bad experience or maybe we were just unlucky?