Do not waste your money. They do absolutely nothing you can't do yourself with a google search. Such a predatory business on parents desperate to get their kids some help. read more

We had originally requested Academic Answers to help us construct a care team to mimic an inpatient treatment facility (our daughter's outpatient clinic recommended inpatient, but we didn't want to send her to one). Academic Answers LIED to us and told us that all three of the people they had spoken to on our daughter's current care team (psychologist, psychiatrist, bio-feedback practitioner) all agreed that she needed to be placed in a facility outside the home to improve her condition. When we called each care team member to verify this, they ALL emphasized that this was completely untrue, and they in fact thought the opposite: that sending her away would be more traumatizing given the nature of her condition. The team from Academic Answers recommended we send our daughter to a facility in Utah whom, upon research, had a nefarious and scandalous history involving abuse by the staff to the kids. Academic Answers advised that had been "decades ago and none of the staff was still there", however in our interview with the facility they had incidentally told us they had changed names several years ago but the staff was still the same.... When confronted with these facts and that the scandal was actually three years ago, the response from Academic Answers was "well that's almost a decade". In an initial interview with Academic Answers, we had asked about a certain facility (where Academic Answers had placed the child of the parent who referred us to their company) and they told us that place was horrendous, and they would NEVER recommend a child to be placed there. When asked for a refund, Academic Answers offered to return $5,000 of the $7,000 we had given them if we signed an NDA stating we wouldn't discuss our experience. If reading this saves even one family from these vultures, preying on families in a compromised situation who are desperate to help their children, it was worth it to decline that option. read more

I would like give 0 starts to this practice. The prey on wealthy desperate families (check out all the cities they're located in) and tell you all the services they provide within the annual contract you're required to sign for $7000. We used them to help us place our child into a wilderness camp which ended up backfiring on us and our child. Academic Answers also told us they'll "help" negotiate the tuition/fees for the camps and boarding schools. When we had a family reunion at the wilderness camp and spoke to other families who also use Academic Answers we found all our daily rates/tuition for the camp varied, ours being the highest. When our child returned from camp they suggested helpful services, all for an additional cost to the $7000 annual contract fee. Each service ranging anywhere from $1000-$3000. We never used them throughout the year until the end of the contract, when we had requested they recommend boarding schools in case things took a turn for the worse. A couple months after contract ended, our child's behavior had taken a turn in which their safety was at steak. When I reached out for help and inquired about their existing recommendations they had told me they require an additional $5000 to answer questions regarding their recommendations/help finding a school. They told me they were bending the rules for us because they were "concerned." We know 2 other families here in Austin who have used them who also have been extremely disappointed. We strongly do not recommend their services. Luckily we found a reputable service who is more personable, caring and knowledgeable for 1/4 of the cost. read more

I wish I could give zero stars for this outfit. We were promised a local college advisor. We were provided someone from Dallas who could only do Skype meetings. When we asked fir a change they simply said they do not have anyone available. We requested a refund and all we got were excuses. In the end we found another group to do it who was terrific and got the job done. They may have good people but Brian Taylor is a joke and their leadership simply full of excuses. Stay away and spend your money elsewhere. read more

We are very appreciative of the help that Academic Answers provided our family. We struggled over the years to find an accurate diagnosis for our child. While we have found help with local therapists and other medical professionals, we still needed more. Our consultant at Academic Answers was able to identify a treatment center that specializes in working with young adults like our child. The in-depth conversations our consultant had with our child's teachers and therapists and medical professionals to better understand our child's needs was significant. This helped her narrow down and identify a small list of treatment centers best suited to help our child. From there we were able to work with her to select the center and have our child admitted for care, assessment, get a diagnosis and get treatment. On our own, we never would have found the center or been able to get our child admitted so quickly and during such a critical time. We finally understand what we are dealing with. After attending the treatment center, our child's mental health challenges have not magically disappeared (rarely do they), the struggles are still there, but we know more, are better prepared, and our child has made gains. I wish Academic Answers had more knowledge about wrap-around and follow up services available in our local area, but we are grateful for their expertise as it relates to quality centers across the nation. For those wondering, Academic Answers is an out of pocket expense, but we consider it a well-spent investment in our child's future. read more

I appreciate the Academic Answers team's compassion and professionalism. I have personally worked with Hope VanDyk and can speak to how much she cares about the families she works with. She has a depth of knowledge of both clinical issues and programs. I trust Hope and the academic answers team. read more

Excellent Delivery of Services. I've been working hand-in-hand with Dr. Richard Ribb since 2016. Dr. Ribb has done an incredible job facilitating and guiding me through the process of graduate school applications and served as a mentor, both academic and general. Dr. Ribb strikes a perfect balance between facilitating, guiding, and empowering in terms of academic pursuits while taking time take personal and emotional growth into account. read more

I found Academic Answers and Debbie Hopper last summer during my most desperate time as a parent. I hired her knowing that I needed an advisor to help me navigate through this unknown journey. I was in such a rock and a hard place! My teen was spiraling out of control at a rapid rate. I was worried for his mental health, safety and his future. I knew that I needed to buy him time and tools to find himself and grow up and through this crucial developmental time. Debbie has been a true professional, committed, kind and supportive every step of the way. She's a straight shooter and calls it like it is and will go to bat for your child. She has continued to show up to work for us and walk with us through the toughest of times. She has listened to our specific needs, answered our questions, guided us, informed us, offered vetted programs that she herself and her firm have relationships with so that we could choose our best solution for our child. When you have a troubled teen who's lost their way you do not want to navigate it on your own. Getting advise and support from professionals and those who have been there before has been the best thing I could have done. I will be forever grateful for the programs and professionals we've found along the way because of Debbie and Academic Answers. I'm grateful that I can report that our son has grown beyond measure over the past 10 months. He is working hard to get prepared for his life ahead of him. His future looks beautifully bright, his academics are stellar, our family bond is better than ever, his self reliance is strong, his inner reflection runs deep and his work ethic is admirable. He is on the path to living greatly. read more

I was skeptical that anyone could help us with our defiant child. We had seen countless psychiatrists, psychologists, family counselors, cognitive behavior therapists and still our young boy was defiant, ugly and out of control. Chris Kocurek turned our lives around with a SuccessPlan for our son and parent training for us. We are all happier, informed, and best, we have a plan for our future. They provided a sense of care and case management and a PLAN for action that NO OTHER provider could even conceive. Every one else we felt just offered their canned service, or recommended a drug, within an hour time slot and without listening to us. Academic Answers is a completely different holistic approach. We will use them again for any academic or behavior need for all our children. Best investment. read more

Academic Answers and Margaret Oak helped us with our son's need for a therapeutic school and help after we struggled with numerous in town options for a year. They were professional, experienced and understanding. The first time I sat down with them for a free consult, they gladly sat and listened to my whole story and let me just pour my heart out to them. It took us several more months to commit to an out of town schooling option, and then they were ready and quickly found us good options, plus recommended a camp first which we hadn't considered. The therapy camp itself was a huge help and kick started the turn around like they said it would. Overall, all of their recommendations have been a very good match for what our son needed and have made the kind of life long impact that we were hoping for. He's back to being the confident, motivated, and caring soul he is meant to be and we have every expectation that he will keep the skills he is learning for life. Their services are expensive, but the value of what they provided our family was worth every penny. read more

Academic Answers is neither. We paid several thousand dollars for a few statements of the painfully obvious and nothing more. They were unresponsive, unprofessional and incompetent. With our second child we have used a different consultant and the results have been dramatically better. Avoid these guys. read more

This five-star rating is exclusively for the college counseling and tutoring services we received through Amanda Moore at Academic Answers in Austin. Amanda has been the saving grace of Academic Answers. From day 1, she encouraged our daughter to persist in catching up with courses she missed her junior year, making up an entire year of AP and honors courses over a four-month period. She has provided important counsel in helping our daughter navigate through the college application process and checks in with her regularly to see how she is doing. As a result of her encouragement, our daughter has been accepted into several top colleges with scholarship offers. Amanda responds quickly to texts and emails, and our daughter hears back from her within the hour if not sooner. She communicates directly with our teen, and her care for our daughter's well-being is sincere and genuine. We highly recommend Amanda for college counseling and tutoring. read more