The foundation for all COMPASS Services, including the Family Guidance Program, is the Needs Identification and Intervention Model (NIIM ©), developed by COMPASS' founder, Dr. Moisés Barón, Ph.D. The NIIM © is a theoretically and clinically based methodology to help families identify their needs and their family's adaptation to caring for a child with a disability.

COMPASS contracts with the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC) to evaluate its services. Dr. Mary Baker-Ericzén directs our outcomes assessment and evaluation. Data from our pilot project (2005-2006) revealed that not only were 100% of families satisfied with the services they received, but they also experienced statistically significantly improvements in their feelings of empowerment to advocate for themselves, their child and their community (Family Empowerment Scale).

Additionally, those receiving family counseling services showed a dramatic decrease of 56% in parent-related stress (Parenting Stress Index, Abidin, 1995), and total stress dropped by 37%. Finally, those receiving family counseling services also showed statistically significant increases in positive coping skills and a decrease in negative coping skills (Brief COPE, Carver, 1997).

For more information about our outcomes, view our Annual Report.