Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Mission of New Frontiers?
New Frontiers is committed to helping clients reach their fullest potential through a collaborative, creative and flexible coaching model.
What do you do?
We coach people through their personal journey of growth. Our focus is on executive functions, which are goal-directed behaviors. Sometimes clients don’t even realize they need to refine their executive function skills! We help people learn about how they learn (metacognition), develop individualized strategies, and hold themselves accountable in using those strategies. We use a problem-solving model to work on goals and address barriers and obstacles to growth. Our overarching goal is to help people in developing: (1) problem solving skills, (2) a growth-mindset, (3) grit and resilience, and (4) independence.
What don't you do?
We are not a school (although we do help with homeschooling coursework), and we do not provide therapeutic supports. We also do not provide ABA supports (although some of our work is behavioral in nature) or related services, such as Speech, OT, or PT. Coaching can complement these other supports, so if you are questioning whether we are a good fit or not, feel free to set up a call with us and we’d be happy to clarify how we can help. If we aren’t a good fit, we always try to point you in the right direction of something else you may be looking for.
What age group do you work with?
We work through the lifespan, starting as early as 5 years old up through adults in their eighties and beyond. Since our coaching focuses on goals and goal-directed behaviors, like executive function skills, we can work with anyone who has or wants to set goals, and is seeking an accountability partner to help in working towards those goals.
How does coaching work?
Before coaching begins, we want to first make sure that we are the best fit to support you. First we will have a discovery call with you to get to know you and provide you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. If you and we think that our coaching may be a good option for you, we will then schedule a virtual consultation, where we will identify your goals and what you are looking for in a coach (i.e., personality, expertise area, etc.). We develop a coaching plan that is designed to meet your needs and goals. Check out our Path to Coaching! Coaching, in it’s simplest description, is all about identifying goals, developing strategies, problem solving, and maintaining strategies that work!
What does a typical week of coaching look like? How long are coaching sessions?
Our coaching sessions are provided in units of 15 minutes (i.e., 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour, etc.). What we accomplish in each session depends on the client and the length of meeting time. For some clients, they benefit from multiple 15-minute sessions in a week, whereas others benefit from longer sessions. We will design our recommendations with regards to what a typical week looks like during our initial consultation meeting. Coaches also text clients in between sessions, and are available for additional sessions as requested. Every person is unique, so our coaching supports are designed in a way to specifically benefit your goals and needs! Check out the Path to Coaching for more information.
Do you provide services in-person?
We do; however, there are some considerations for in-person supports that we guide you through. In-person supports cost an additional $50/hr., and sessions are always, at minimum, 1-hour in length. In-person supports limit the coaches that you can be matched with (geography becomes the number one matching criterion instead of best-fit). In-person vs. virtual sessions is only one part of the equation for determining what the optimal coaching will look like for you, and we will always give you our professional opinion on what we think is best.
How does payment work?
We follow a prepay model, where clients purchase blocks of hours in advance of coaching to add to their bank of hours. You can review our rates here: nfil.net/pricing. We accept ACH (electronic fund transfer), Credit Card, Zelle, and mailed checks as payment methods.
There are some public funding options available. These depend on your state and eligibility. We are happy to explore whether your funds can be applied to our supports!
Do you accept insurance?
Executive Function coaching is not covered by insurance.
Who are your coaches?
Our coaches come from a wide variety of professional backgrounds to meet the needs of our diverse client base. We require all coaches to have completed, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree, though most have completed degrees at the master’s level or beyond. Many times our coaches have education or mental health backgrounds, but we do also have coaches with other specialty/concentration areas (e.g. business, medicine, law, fine arts, etc.). When hiring, we are looking for the attributes more difficult to teach or train, such as relatability, connectedness, empathy, creative/flexible thinking, and adaptability. We’ve identified these traits as foundational to effective coaching.
Do you work with students or professionals?
Both! We work with a wide range of individuals with wide ranging goals. The main domains we work on are: Academics, Social Engagement, Life Management, Career, and B2B solutions.
Are coaching and tutoring the same thing?
Although we provide both, coaching and tutoring are different from each other.
Tutoring focuses on teaching content. This may include examples such as working through how to do a math problem, or learning the specifics of a software. Tutoring tends to focus on the what of a skill.
Coaching, on the other hand, focuses on the how. Coaching is about navigating through challenge and struggle to help the client learn how to problem solve independently. New Frontiers’ model uses explicit instruction (teaching directly) and cognitive modeling (modeling thought processes) to help individuals build up their strategy tool kit.
Check out this blog on this question!
What is different about what you will do for me since I have been diagnosed with _______?
Although coaching doesn’t target specific diagnoses, many diagnoses directly or indirectly impact an individual’s executive functions. We focus on symptoms instead of diagnoses because this focuses efforts on actionable areas. Our approach is designed to support individuals in overcoming executive function challenges through a teaching and learning model. We have staff who specialize in specific diagnoses, so if there is a more specific need, we are often able to meet it.
How will I ever accomplish my goals?
Accomplishing goals is no easy task, but the first step is to break them down into more manageable, smaller tasks. Coaching also focuses on goal-directed persistence, the executive function skills necessary to help individuals not give up on goals and persist through challenge.
How can I refer someone to your services?
Feel free to either contact us (646-558-0085 or info@nfil.net) to discuss a specific referral or share our contact info with them directly. If you are a professional in the field, we are always looking for collaborative opportunities!