What are behavior services?
Our Specialty
Who We Work With
The Areas We Serve
About Our Behavior Services Program Staff
Behavior Services Options and Fees
More About K-Plan Professional Behavior Services
To request behavior services, please fill out our intake form.
If, after reading the information below, you have additional questions you can email us at: positivesupports @among-friends.org
What are behavior services?
Behavior services are designed to help people change unproductive, unwanted, dangerous, or even illegal behaviors and address the underlying issues; AND to help people learn new productive, desired behaviors and skills.
Our Speciality
Among Friends, LLC specializes in social-sexual supports for children and adults – everything to do with relationships, sexuality, consent and boundaries, gender identity, sexual orientation, bodies, etc.
Who We Work With
Among Friends, LLC can provide services to anyone. However, our expertise is in serving people who receive social services and experience intellectual and/or developmental diversity, learning disabilities, mental health issues, and trauma. And, while we can provide behavior services to support any behaviors, we will prioritize individuals who are dealing with social-sexual related issues.
In the past we have worked with:
- People from all walks of life (our “clients”)
- A client’s family members and caregivers
- A client’s support and program staff
- A client’s educators, faith leaders, doctors, and community members
- Foster Care Providers and Group Home Staff
- County Developmental Disability Programs and Brokerages
- Regional Crisis Diversion Offices
- Social and Public Service Agencies
The Areas We Serve
Among Friends, LLC can provide behavior services and consultation for anyone via zoom and/or phone meetings. We are based in the state of Oregon (in the United States). If you are in a different region or time zone we would simply need to make accommodations for that.
About Our Staff
Among Friends, LLC has multiple staff and interns working on Professional Behavior Services. We will assign your client or loved one to the next available intern/staff after you have completed our intake process.
If you/your client/the person you support has a preference to work with a particular member of our staff we will do our best to accommodate that request. However, it is important to understand that this may delay us being able to start services until that staff member has an opening in their schedule.
All interns and staff are supervised by a Behavior Professional and all documents are co-authored by a Behavior Professional and reviewed by Karissa Justice (Behavior Services Program Manager) and/or Shanya Luther (Director). Interns also have weekly supervision meetings with Shanya Luther to review behaviors, brainstorm strategies, and problem solve issues of concern.
Our Behavior Services Options and Fees
Behavior Consultation and Positive Behavior Services
The benefit of this option is that it offers a lot of flexibility and we can work specifically on what you/your client/you loved one needs and even work with you/them directly if desired; the downside is that if there is no funding source for you/your client/your loved one, then these services have to be paid out-of-pocket.
This option can be used for a “modified”, “supplemental”, or “abbreviated” Functional Assessment and Behavior Support Plan if needed. (for example, if a family has no other funding source and just needs some strategies for addressing behaviors, or if someone has a behavior support plan but needs to supplement it with information regarding sexualized behaviors)
These services are $110 per hour. Some reduced rates are negotiable for financial hardship. Among Friends, LLC does not take insurance at this time.
K-Plan Funded Professional Behavior Services
K-Plan Funded Professional Behavior Services are specific to residents of the state of Oregon who experience intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and receive developmental disability services. Among Friends, LLC is Provider #104182.
- These services are usually funded by County DD Programs or Brokerage Services.
- The benefit of this option is that DD funding pays for it; the downside of this is that there are rigid rules about how the State requires/allows these services to be offered and there are limitations to how we could work directly with your client/loved one.
These services are $80 per hour if the client is within 70 miles from the Among Friends, LLC office, and $100 per hour if the client is more than 70 miles from the Among Friends, LLC office.
*Some people ask if they can do a combination of K-Plan Funded and Consultation Services. Under Oregon ODDS Rules these services must have at least a 1 year break between them to avoid having a conflict of interest. And while it is not impossible to get an exception to do both K-Plan Funded and Private Pay Services at the same time, it is very difficult – so this option should not be considered viable for most clients.
More About K-Plan Professional Behavior Services
As a reminder, K-Plan Funded Professional Behavior Services are specific to residents of the state of Oregon who experience intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and receive developmental disability services.
The Services Available Using K-Plan Funding:
Temporary Emergency Safety Plan (TESP) – avg. of 3 hours
The state of Oregon allows 15 days from the date of the signed contract to complete a TESP.
- Phone interviews and writing the TESP
- Team meeting to review the TESP
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) – max. of 15 hours
While the state of Oregon allows 45 days for this service, we attempt to complete it in 30 days.
- Initial Team Meeting
- Interviews & Writing the FBA
- Home Visit
- Team Meeting to Review the FBA
Positive Behavior Support Plan (PBSP) – max. of 12 hours
While the state of Oregon allows 90 days for this service, we attempt to complete it in 30 days.
- Writing the PBSP
- Team Meeting to Review the PBSP
On-going Supports – max. of 18 hours in a client’s ISP year
While the state of Oregon allows 1 year for this service, our intent is to complete it in 6 months following the finalization of the PBSP.
- Monthly team meetings for 6 months to track the progress of the behavior plan
- Weekly check-ins with the primary caregiver and the client
- Creating resources, developing tools and designing strategies to support positive behaviors as needed
Our Fees for K-Plan Funded Services
These services are $80 per hour if the client is within 70 miles from the Among Friends, LLC office, and $100 per hour if the client is more than 70 miles from the Among Friends, LLC office.
Our COVID Policy for K-Plan Funded Services
For everyone’s protection, at this time all of our team meetings and home visits are conducted by Zoom and our interviews are conducted by phone. We will return to in-person meetings and home visits when it is safe to do so.
Important Note Regarding Our Process for K-Plan Funded Services
At this time, our agency process is to have one staff member complete the functional behavior assessment, a second staff complete the positive behavior support plan, and a third staff complete the ongoing support sessions and team meetings. All of these staff are supervised directly and the final documents are reviewed/co-authored by our Behavior Services Program Manager and staff are also given weekly training, resources, and additional guidance by our Director, Shanya Luther.
What We Require of Personal Agents and Service Coordinators for K-Plan Funded Services
A team approach is required for Behavior Services to be successful. For this reason we require that personal agents and service coordinators attend 2 team meetings for the FBA, 1 team meeting for the PBSP, and monthly team meetings for On-going Supports.
Since we have to schedule for all interviews to complete the FBA, we depend on Personal Agents and Service Coordinators to arrange the team meetings. Our staff will offer available times in our schedule to the case manager and ask them to confirm with the other team members.
What We Require of All the Support Team Members for K-Plan Funded Services
A team approach is required for Behavior Services to be successful. For this reason we require 2 team meetings for the FBA, 1 team meeting for the PBSP, and monthly team meetings for On-going Supports.
For us to do our job, we need the members of a support team to set up appointments with us, be on time, and to follow up on phone calls or emails from us in a timely manner.
If we do not get the responses we need to schedule meetings and interviews or to complete our work, we will email 3 warnings of possible suspension of services to the case manager and any other key members of the team. If we do not receive the contact/responses we need, we will suspend services and give the client’s slot to someone else.