Liston Education Group

08/27/2026

"Lazy."
"Defiant."
"Unmotivated."
"Manipulative."
"Attention-seeking."

I've heard children described with every one of these words.

And sometimes the label becomes so powerful that everyone stops asking questions.

"Why won't he get out of bed?"
"Why does she panic before school?"
"Why did his personality suddenly change?"
"Why is she pushing away the people she needs most?"

Curiosity changes the conversation from:

"What's wrong with this child?"
to: "What are we missing?"

That question has changed more outcomes than I can count.

Curiosity will always teach you more than assumptions.

— Jodi Liston

08/26/2026

"The best work I've ever done started by listening."
— Jodi Liston

08/25/2026

Parents almost never call me too early.

But I can't count the number of times I've heard:

"I wish we'd called you sooner."

Getting guidance doesn't commit you to treatment, placement, or any particular path.

It gives you perspective.

And sometimes perspective is exactly what prevents a difficult situation from becoming a crisis.

After 30 years, I've learned that knowing when to act can be every bit as important as knowing what to do.

Experience Changes Outcomes.

— Jodi

08/22/2026

A little down time on the boat, appropriately named “Liquid Therapy”.

08/21/2026

What is the best program?

08/20/2026

They had done everything they were told to do.

Therapists, Evaluations, Treatment, Programs.

More than $100,000 later, their child was coming home, and the parents were terrified.

Not because nothing had worked, because many things had worked.
The problem was that no one was connecting them.
Every professional had done their part.
But each was holding a different piece of the story.

The parents had become the case manager, messenger, researcher, advocate, and transition coordinator, all while trying to be Mom and Dad.

This is something 30 years has taught me:

Excellent care delivered in pieces can still produce a fragmented outcome.
Someone has to see the whole child.
Someone has to understand what came before, what's working now, and what needs to happen next.
Because treatment isn't a collection of transactions.
It's a journey.

And transitions are often where the greatest progress is either protected....... or lost.

Experience Changes Outcomes.

— Jodi

08/18/2026

You can research programs.
Read reviews.
Ask friends.
Call therapists.
Google until 2:00 AM.

And still not know what to do.

Because information and judgment are two different things.

The question isn't: "What are our options?"

It's: "Which option is right for this child, at this moment, and why?"

That's where experience matters.

Experience Changes Outcomes.

08/03/2026

08/03/2026

Every August, we hear from parents asking the same question: Is this normal back-to-school stress, or is my teen struggling with something bigger?

Some adjustment is expected. New routines, new social pressure, more academic weight. What we watch for is whether it fades as the year gets underway, or whether it settles in: school avoidance, withdrawal from friends or activities, physical symptoms tied to school mornings, or a teen who tells you directly they feel overwhelmed or hopeless.

If that sounds like what you're seeing, you're not overreacting, and you don't have to sort it out alone. A first conversation is confidential and no-pressure.
We're here to help you understand the options.
212-870-8780 [email protected]

06/26/2026

We came to Liston Education after two years of feeling like we were failing our daughter. Bouncing between schools, therapists, and advice that never quite fit.

Jodi was the first person who asked about our daughter as a whole person, not just a list of problems to solve. The school she helped us find wasn't the one we expected, but it was the one our daughter needed.

A year later, she's a different kid, more confident, more herself. What we didn't expect was that Jodi stayed involved the whole way through. They never just handed us a list and disappeared.

— Parent of a 9th grade student