Search for school therapy staffing in Michigan and most of what you find are national agencies and their job boards. Many of them do good work. But a staffing partner is not a commodity, and the difference shows up in the middle of the school year, when a clinician leaves or a hard case lands on a new provider's desk.
Here is a practical way to compare options, whoever you end up choosing.
Questions that tell you the most
Who will actually work with our students?
Ask who the clinician is, what their experience is, and how they were matched to your students and setting. A name on a contract is not the same as a person you know.
Will it be the same person all year? Next year?
Continuity matters for students and IEP teams. Turnover mid-year means new relationships, new learning curves and gaps in services. Ask how the partner keeps clinicians in place.
Who supports the clinician?
A school SLP or OT working alone in a building can hit cases they have not seen before. Ask whether there is a clinical team behind them, and how easy it is for them to get help.
Can one partner cover on-site, virtual and hybrid?
If you need teletherapy for one building and on-site support for another, a single team keeps things simpler than two vendors with two sets of paperwork.
Which roles can they fill?
Most districts need more than one role over time: speech, OT, social work, school psychology, resource room, paraprofessionals. Ask what they cover.
Can they handle evaluations, including bilingual ones?
Evaluations carry deadlines. If your community includes Arabic-speaking families, ask whether evaluations can be done by clinicians who speak Arabic, not only through an interpreter.
Do they supervise clinical fellows?
CF supervision widens the pool of SLPs you can hire. See hiring a clinical fellow SLP.
What happens when I call?
Ask who picks up. One point of contact who knows your district saves your office a lot of time.
Local clinic or national agency?
National agencies have large networks and can recruit across many states. A local clinic offers different strengths:
A clinical team nearby that supports the clinician in your building.
Physical clinics where students can be seen in person when that is the better option.
Knowledge of the local community, including its languages.
Relationships that last year to year.
The right choice depends on your district. What matters is asking the questions above and getting straight answers.
About Anwar House of Therapy
Anwar House of Therapy is a Michigan pediatric therapy clinic with locations in Ann Arbor and Dearborn. We have partnered with Michigan schools for five years and served more than 550 families in our clinics. Our school team provides speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, social workers, school psychologists, resource room teachers and paraprofessionals, plus 504, IEP and MTSS consulting, on site, virtually or in a hybrid model.
We aim for the same clinician in your building year after year, our school clinicians are part of our clinical team, and when you call, a real person picks up.
Frequently asked questions
Which schools does Anwar House of Therapy work with?
Public school districts, charter schools and online or virtual schools in Michigan. Services can be on site, virtual or hybrid.
Which roles can you fill?
Speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, social workers, school psychologists, resource room teachers and paraprofessionals, plus special education consulting and compliance support.
How quickly can someone start?
It depends on the role and your schedule. Tell us what you need and we will give you an estimated start date on the first call.
Comparing staffing partners? See how our school staffing works or call (734) 224-9121.
