Our Team

Consultant

Shayna Abraham

Shayna Abraham holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology with a specialty in Eating Disorders from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She has completed additional coursework in chemical dependency at California State University, East Bay. Prior to full-time consulting, she worked therapeutically with a wide range of clients including adults, adolescents, children, and families.

Shayna understands that each family she works with has unique and often complex challenges. Her intent is to meet each family where they are and guide them to reach their individually defined goals. Over the past decade, she has worked with hundreds of families as both an educational and therapeutic consultant.

Shayna regularly travels nationally and internationally, maintaining her direct knowledge of schools and programs. She cultivates relationships directly with each of the professionals and programs she recommends. Shayna utilizes her in-depth understanding of diagnosis, assessment, and treatment to advocate for her clients while guiding the family through the entire treatment process

Consultant

James Meyer

James has been an educator for nearly three decades, during which time he taught history, coached many successful lacrosse teams, founded and led a therapeutic boarding school, and served as the executive director of a treatment program. He is a recognized leader in the field of residential treatment for adolescents, including pioneering an approach called the Meyer “Continuum of Care” (click here to read more about it) which looks at therapy for youth as part of a lifecycle with the goal to create as many opportunities for teens, as soon as possible while in therapy, with the least amount of restriction on their lives.

James grew up in Pound Ridge, New York, attended boarding school at Choate Rosemary Hall, and received his B.A. in History at the University of Colorado at Boulder. After graduating, James taught history at a private school in Bedford, New York, where he also coached several lacrosse teams to regional championships. He subsequently completed his M.A in Education at Fairfield University. From there, he moved to Denver and taught history at Kent Denver for four years, and coached a lacrosse team that won the state championship in 1997.

Consultant

Kathy Meyer

Kathy specializes in therapeutic placements for teens and young adults. As a mom of three young adults and a mental health professional, she offers parents genuine and compassionate support as they navigate the process of getting their teen help. Her areas of expertise are students with anxiety and depression and students who are struggling with social skill deficits. She also loves working with young adults and is skilled at getting them to engage in their process. Raised in Guilford, Connecticut, Kathy received her B.A. in Political Science from New England College. In the following years, she worked with inner-city populations in New York and Connecticut doing outreach, prevention, and legislative work before graduating from Columbia University with an M.S. in Social Work. She received specialized training in Structural Family Therapy from the Minuchin Center and worked in several residential treatment centers in New York. She continued her work as a therapist in family preservation and day treatment programs upon relocation to Colorado.

Testimonials

  • “We were fortunate to have found Shayna, she was recommended by our son’s therapist. Determining that sending our son away to get more help than we could provide at home was the most difficult decision we had ever made as parents. Are we making the right decision and will he ever forgive us for sending him away. Shayna was with us every step of the way and went beyond what we thought would happen. We met with her for a couple of hours and told her our situation. She talked with our son’s therapist, read his neuro-psych report and got a picture of who he is and what his challenges were. First we sent our son to a wilderness school where everything is reduced to the minimum amount of distractions and choices. Shayna was in regular contact with us and the wilderness therapist in case more was necessary after the wilderness program. Shayna was with us, supporting and guiding us, for what was to come next. Not always is our kid’s journey a one-stop placement. After wilderness we were advised, and agreed, that our son needed more help/time in his journey. Wilderness was a great start for what he needed in order to be open to change. She gave us a list of 5 therapeutic boarding schools that she had pre-screened — she talked with the schools that she thought would be a good fit and also had available space. We saw her list, looked at the schools online and had questions. She addressed our concerns and we selected 2 of the schools to visit. We visited 2 and felt like we found a good place. At any point during the journey whenever we had a question Shayna was there for us. There are a lot of programs/schools out there and the investment into our child’s future is big both emotionally and monetarily. Shayna’s knowledge, research, recommendations, and support in finding the right place was very successful for us. Our boy is now back in more than one way. He is home and our “lost” son has been found and has a toolkit of emotional maturity and resiliency we never thought possible.”

    Judy P.

  • “Prepare to Bloom was like the eye of the storm for our family. It’s nearly impossible to know where to start when your child, and the whole family, is suffering, and heartbreaking to even consider placing your child outside the home. They were calm and thoughtful and bought us some time to regroup with placement for our child. During the placement, they were always available and in contact with the school staff as well. Once we better figured out a more complete diagnosis for our son, including some complex medical issues, we were able to transition him home with their guidance. It was reassuring that their knowledge of schools around the country was enhanced by frequent regular visits in person and that they were so readily available during and after our child’s time away.”

    Tracy J.

  • “Prepare to Bloom has been an amazing resource throughout our journey. Whether it was finding our teen a well-matched therapist, an alternative school or program placement, their knowledge and expertise are incredible. Prepare to Bloom’s familiarity with professionals in and out of the community truly helped us make hard choices through this chaotic and uncharted territory! We could not have done this successfully without them. We highly recommend their services for any family with a struggling teen!”

    Staci & Chris

  • "Just wanted to write and let you know things are going the best they can here!...Our child has been seeing a therapist since we came home from their program…When we did the intake meeting with a fantastic dr at the DBT program and gave her the whole rundown of what we went through and all the steps we took she said "wow, well, you really did everything you could!"

    Brendan

  • Why use an Educational Consultant? Our daughter landed up in the ER in Oregon just days before the 2017 Total Eclipse. Hundreds of thousands of people were arriving by the day. The ER doc said for my kid’s sake, to get her out of the ER ASAP. The problem was there was nowhere to go: very few adolescent psych beds were available in the entire state. Fortunately, we had been working with Shayna. She tapped her network. Within days, Shayna did the impossible — she found a safe and therapeutic setting where my daughter could stabilize. But it is not just for crises that ECs are essential. Right now my daughter is graduating from residential treatment and we are figuring out her next step. Since Shayna has followed my daughter’s journey, and developed a relationship with her, her dad and me, she was able to pinpoint, from all possible options, the programs that would match us and support her growth. What endlessly stuns me about Shayna is that in all situations she herself is even-keeled and grounded. She shares concrete information gained from years of personal relationships and site visits. And she positions herself skillfully, building alliances with all parties. Through Prepare to Bloom’s virtual supports, I have met Shayna’s team. Every consultant at Prepare to Bloom is informed, present and sound. I refer other parents routinely. Prepare to Bloom saves kids and families. They are with us families for the duration. And I am forever grateful.

    A mom from Berkeley, CA

  • I am the one who would like to express my deepest gratitude for your help with [my son]. I had no idea what I was entering into when I contacted you - I was desperate and I knew I needed to get [my son] help. I had no experience with all of this. Your guidance has been invaluable and [my son] is doing so much better now. [His therapist] is exactly the right person for him and that match is thanks to you... I know [my son] enjoyed working with you as well - he was asking about you when I saw him in the wilderness. I know he would like to express his deepest thanks to you as well.

    Michelle

We can help.

At Prepare to Bloom, we understand. And we’re here for you—not just in the beginning, but to walk beside you every step of the way, to provide guidance and hope, and get your child back on their own right path. Let’s get the comeback started, together.