What could your goals look like?
Your Goals. Your Growth. Your Possibilities.
What Could Progress Look Like With New Horizons Social Services?
Every individual has different strengths, challenges, and aspirations. At New Horizons Social Services (NHSS), we believe meaningful progress begins with understanding what matters most to you. Whether it is gaining confidence in everyday situations, building stronger relationships, navigating life's challenges, or helping caregivers provide more effective support, we turn meaningful goals into practical steps forward. Here are some examples of what we can work toward together.
DDA-Funded Service
Life Skills
Building Confidence, Independence & Everyday Success
Life Skills focuses on helping individuals develop and maintain abilities that make everyday life more manageable, meaningful, and fulfilling. Through individualized guidance and real-world practice, we help turn personal goals into opportunities for growth.
Building Confidence & Independence
I want to feel more comfortable doing things on my own.
Imagine being able to plan an outing, make a purchase, navigate a familiar community setting, or complete everyday responsibilities with greater confidence. We can work on planning, decision-making, problem-solving, and practical daily living skills — building on existing strengths and gradually increasing independence where appropriate.
Example goal:
Develop and practice a personalized routine for completing everyday tasks and participating in community activities with greater independence.
Communication, Relationships & Self-Advocacy
I want to make friends, express myself, and feel understood.
Healthy relationships begin with communication, confidence, and understanding. Whether someone wants to connect with others, express their preferences, establish boundaries, or navigate social situations, we can help them build the skills to do so. Support may include practicing conversations, recognizing social cues, communicating needs, managing disagreements, and advocating for personal choices.
Example goal:
Build confidence communicating personal needs, setting boundaries, and participating in meaningful social interactions.
Creating a More Fulfilling Community Life
I want to get out more, try new things, and feel like I belong.
Meaningful independence includes having opportunities to participate in the world around you. Whether the goal is exploring a new hobby, attending community activities, developing friendships, or feeling more comfortable in unfamiliar environments, we can help individuals develop the skills and confidence to participate in ways that matter to them.
Example goal:
Increase confidence and participation in personally meaningful community activities through planning, skill-building, and supported practice.
DDA-Funded Service
Staff & Family Consultation
Empowering the People Who Provide Support
Supporting an individual with a developmental disability can involve complex challenges, important decisions, and situations without obvious solutions. Staff & Family Consultation helps family members, informal caregivers, and direct support providers better understand an individual's unique needs and develop practical, consistent ways to support their independence, well-being, and community inclusion.
Understanding & Responding to Challenging Behaviors
We want to understand what they're experiencing and know how to help.
Challenging behaviors can be influenced by communication difficulties, frustration, environmental stressors, unmet needs, or unexpected changes. Rather than focusing solely on the behavior itself, we help caregivers explore contributing factors, recognize patterns, and develop supportive, individualized responses. This may include identifying potential triggers, recognizing early signs of distress, adapting communication, and practicing proactive strategies to reduce escalation.
Example goal:
Help caregivers recognize patterns associated with challenging situations and consistently implement individualized, respectful strategies that support the person's needs and preferences.
Improving Communication & Understanding
We want to communicate better and reduce misunderstandings.
Sometimes the most meaningful improvements begin with changing how support is provided. We can help caregivers understand an individual's communication style and explore approaches such as clear instructions, visual supports, offering meaningful choices, allowing processing time, and recognizing nonverbal communication.
Example goal:
Equip family members or support staff with individualized communication strategies that promote mutual understanding, informed choice, and greater participation in daily decisions.
Building a Stronger, More Consistent Support Team
We want everyone supporting our loved one to understand what works.
When family members, caregivers, and support staff use different approaches, even everyday situations can become confusing or frustrating. We help supporters develop a shared understanding of the individual's strengths, goals, and needs, along with practical instructional and communication strategies that can be used consistently.
Example goal:
Establish shared support strategies among caregivers and direct service providers so the individual experiences more predictable, coordinated, and person-centered support.
One Individual. Two Ways to Support Their Goals.
Imagine a young adult who wants to become more independent in the community but sometimes struggles with communication, frustration, and unexpected changes.
Through Life Skills
We might work directly with the individual to practice communicating needs, managing frustration, making choices, and confidently participating in community activities.
Through Staff & Family Consultation
We might work with their caregivers to develop more effective communication approaches, understand what contributes to stressful situations, and create consistent strategies that encourage independence.
The services have different purposes, but both are centered on what matters most: helping the individual build skills, exercise choice, and participate more fully in everyday life. Each service is provided only when individually appropriate and authorized.
What Would You Like to Work Toward?
You do not need to have every goal figured out before reaching out. Maybe you know exactly what you would like to accomplish. Maybe you are a caregiver looking for better ways to provide support. Or perhaps you simply know that something needs to change, but you are not sure where to begin. That is a conversation worth having.
At New Horizons Social Services, we work with individuals and their support teams to identify meaningful priorities, establish personalized goals, and develop practical approaches to making progress.
Your goals deserve an individualized approach. Your next step starts here.
These examples are illustrative possibilities, not actual client outcomes or guaranteed results. Services and goals are individualized and depend on the participant's assessed needs, person-centered service plan, and applicable DDA authorization. Showing three Life Skills examples does not mean all three would be selected or authorized together. Life Skills may address no more than three goals at one time under WAC 388-845-1890.