EDT: Educational Design Therapy™ & (Re) Design Psych™

Michelle Renee Hoppe (Shelli) designed a systematic approach combining design thinking with special education advocacy, which she called Educational Design Therapy, in January 2024 while developing a new model for processing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and establishing a client feedback loop rooted in trauma-informed, design-thinking practices. EDT works primarily with parents, caregivers, and educators. Any child-facing strategies are implemented by caregivers or schools, not by her directly. The primary unit of intervention in EDT is the learning system, not the child.

Hi there,

As for my qualifications in education: I’ve been a professor of English and translation, director of international learning centers, faculty trainer, and guest lecturer across disciplines. I’ve worked with children of military families, students from conflict zones, and neurodivergent learners in over six countries. I’ve provided private educational services to families in high-net-worth communities, and earned a rare 5/5 rating from the U.S. State Department of Early Learning as a Lead Pre-K Teacher. I was then selected as a NYC Teaching Fellow, which is the most prestigious, exclusive, and rigorous teaching program in the USA. While a Fellow, I completed a 12-hours-a-day, bootcamp-like summer training in the Bronx. I earned a 2.75/3 rating for my high school teaching.

As an educational therapist, I have advocated for disabled students in court cases as an expert witness against the NYCDOE. I provided expert testimony and documentation that contributed to successful advocacy cases for marginalized NYC families.

I do not believe in prescriptions for behavior, nor do I subscribe to a single theoretical model. I can speak Orton-Gillingham and Montessori fluently, but I’d much rather design what works for your child. I approach every student, every classroom, and every design decision with wonder.

Because teaching, like healing, is not a perfect science.

Private Practice

Educational Design Therapy is my private consulting branch of the process.

A remote educational consulting and therapeutic design practice that helps families and educators understand, redesign, and implement learning systems for neurodivergent and marginalized students, without pathologizing the child. EDT integrates design thinking, trauma-informed practice, and special education advocacy to reimagine how learning environments actually function in real lives. The below curriculum outlines the design-thinking process used in Educational Design Therapy consultations and parent coaching.

Scope of Practice

  • Remote-only

  • Educational consulting and systems design

  • IEP interpretation, redesign, and documentation support

  • Parent and educator consultations

  • 504 Plan Interpretation & Design Support

Practice Boundaries

  • Remote-only. No in-person meetings or site visits.

  • No crisis services. If there is imminent risk, contact emergency services or your local crisis line. I am an Educational Therapist, not a psychotherapist or psychologist.

  • Not legal advice. I can help you communicate clearly and document well; I’m not your attorney.

  • Office hours: Responses within 24 business hours, Monday–Friday.

    Educational Design Therapy™ is an original framework developed by Michelle Renee Hoppe. Full framework and citation available on Substack.

Nonprofit (pending registration)

(Re)Design Psych is the nonprofit branch of EDT.

  • Creative Director & Founder: Michelle Renee Hoppe (Shelli Hoppe), practicing artist and designer with lived experience. MFA, MPS UX Design, BA English

  • CEO: Dr. Cassandra Gordon-Fletcher, EdD

  • Director of Research: Dr. Michael Fletcher, PsyD

  • CFO: Monique Holtkamp, small business owner with lived experience

  • Recovery Research Specialist: Sydney McDermott

    This nonprofit endeavor mostly includes

  • Research

  • Systems change

  • Publications

  • Sliding-scale or grant-funded access

  • Community education

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What you’ll learn

  • How did we get here? Where are we going? Where are we in this journey now?

  • Empathy often serves to educate the majority/power structures at play, which is not what we want for a child who is struggling. Ever heard of Double Empathy? It’s where empathy flows downstream as much as upstream.

    We need to be able to overcome this Double Empathy Problem with stakeholders who might be in decision-making roles, and I can teach you how.

  • Self-advocacy is about setting boundaries in kind and holistic ways. We will develop sentence-starters and practice advocating for ourselves, so that your child does not end up the victim of a bully. If the worst happens, we will be prepared to advocate for your child as well as teach your child to self-advocate. Sadly, I have never met a student with a disability who was not a victim of bullying in some way.

    We will learn how to make genuine friends with the people who value your child.

FAQ

  • Fees
    $300 – Private Consultation
    $1500 – IEP System Review and Journey Map
    $900 – Lifetime Online Content

    Retainer pricing from 4,500+ for bespoke services and consulting with teams/corporations/government agencies, etc.

    Please get in touch for low-income rates. That is what a nonprofit is for!

  • No insurance covers this type of service yet. Your school might fund it in part. I often get brought in by public and private schools when all other behavioral aids have failed. I have sustained excellent results in public, private, and homeschool settings.

    I recommend using your public resources first, but I am here if you need and/or just want curated support.

    *I also can provide detailed, itemized invoices that families often use for reimbursement from Special Education Trusts or Direct Payment from school districts.

  • First, rude. Second of all, I am Shelli Hoppe. I am a neurodivergent third-culture-adult from a high-ranking military family (think spies and fighter jets). I grew up in Japan and traveling the world with my pilot Captain dad. He used to put me through Other Country Bootcamp as a kid, so I grew up with a fully eclectic educational experience. For this, I am beyond grateful. My mother was a Spanish teacher who grew up in Puerto Rico. Her first language was Spanish.

    I have yet to encounter a child whose learning or behavior could not be better understood through careful, humane design.

    I am a firm believer that teachers are not a monolith and the best teachers have their own stuff going on. I make the quip with my students on Fridays, “Do not forget, children, that teachers also have lives.”

    I am proud of and grateful for the life that I have built.