2018 Annual Conference

Ariel Gordon, Ed.S.

Middle
Secondary

Designed through an ecological lens, this longitudinal intervention prepares eighth grade students for a successful and meaningful high school experience. Eighth grade students participate in a Spring Book Drop, a Summer Transition Camp, and a Peer Mentoring Program that runs throughout 9th grade. This program fosters engagement, builds teacher and peer relationships, improves literacy, reduces stigma, and increases student confidence. Additionally, ninth grade students display improved grades and increased enrollment in Advanced and AP courses.

This project shares innovative ideas for faciltating a successful high school transition among eighth grade students. Implemented in four phases, this longitudinal intervention begins in the Spring of eighth grade and sustains positive outcomes throughout a student's high school experience. The scope of this intervention is designed through an ecological lens with the intention of fostering student engagement, building teacher and peer relationships, improving literacy, reducing stigma, and increasing student confidence. Achievement data from this project displays improved grades and increased enrollment in Advanced and AP courses.

The first phase of this intervention involves upperclassmen applying and interviewing to become peer mentors for ninth grade students for the upcoming academic year. Students are selected and trained on mentorhsip and leadership principles. Their first experience/obligation is to attend Freshman Transition Camp as camp counselors to meet and build initial relationships with freshmen. The goal in this phase is to build leadership capacity and establish program expectations.

From there, the second phase includes building excitement around literacy and establishing early relationships with eighth grade students. Over 1000 books are donated from community donors for a “Book Drop” to take place at feeder middle schools. Titles are chosen for relatable protagonists and then categorized by lexile band. Students select a novel based on their literacy band to continue reading level growth in the summer. Each student must finish their book as their entrance ticket to attend Freshman Transition Summer Camp. The goals in this phase are to excite students to read, reduce summer literacy melt, and begin relationship building at transition camp.

The third phase begins in the Fall of ninth grade and counselors identify struggling ninth grade students. Students are identified based on early Fall progress report grades and they are paired with a trained upperclassman mentor. Mentors and mentees engage in relationship building and academic tutoring once a week during homeroom througout ninth grade. The goals in this phase are to build peer relationships, improve grades, and increase engagement & belonging.

The final phase of this intervention involves progress monitoring of ninth grade students' grades, program management, recruitment of mentors for following year (many mentees become mentors), and encouragement of mentees to enroll in more rigorous courses for the following school year. 

These relationships established in ninth grade create meaningful experiences and lasting bonds throughout high school in addition to improved achievement data. Because mentees become mentors later in high school, the program is self-sustaining and holistic. While this intervention requires the collaboration of many stakeholders for a successful implementation, it can be duplicated in or modified for any school setting.

This presentation will include a powerpoint, student testimonial videos, and a sustainability map handout for participants.

 

 

Academics
Personal/Social
New Research
Academic Achievement
Social Emotional Learning

Presenter 1: Jennifer Branscome, Ph.D.
Valdosta State University
Associate Professor
jbranscome@valdosta.edu
Presenter 2: Katharine Adams, Ph.D.
Valdosta State University
Associate Professor
ksadams@valdosta.edu

Elementary
Middle
Secondary

In this session, an overview of autism spectrum disorder will be provided including diagnosis, etiology, signs, and symptoms. Additionally, best practices and interventions for working with autism spectrum disorder in the PreK – 12 setting will be discussed.

This session has three primary goals: 1. Provide an overview of autism spectrum disorder, 2. Review best practices for working with autism spectrum disorder in the PreK – 12 setting, and 3. Discuss interventions for working with autism spectrum disorders in the PreK – 12 setting. This session is intended to be interactive and audience participation will be solicited. Participants will receive handouts of all presentation materials upon request.

 

Goal 1: Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Learning Objective: Participants will gain an understanding of the basics of autism spectrum disorder including diagnosis, etiology, signs, and symptoms.
  • Session participants will learn how the DSM-5 is used in the diagnosis of ASD (e.g., age of onset, criteria). Also, participants will learn about current research and information concerning the etiology of ASD. Lastly, participants will learn about signs and symptoms of ASD which may be encountered within the school setting.

 

Goal 2: Best Practices in Working with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Learning Objective: Participants will gain an understanding of best practices in working with autism spectrum.
  • Session participants will learn about best practices for school counselors when working with students with ASD within the school setting. This will include an overview of issues and concerns related to ASD within the school setting. Also, approaches to working with ASD in the school setting will be addressed. Helpful resources will also be identified.

 

Goal 3: Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Learning Objective: Participants will learn about empirically-supported interventions which can be used by school counselors when working with autism spectrum disorder within the school system.
  • Participants will learn about interventions which can be used within the school setting when working with students with ASD. Information on working with parents and teachers will also be discussed. Resources will also be provided.

 

Academics
Issues in Counseling
Social Emotional Learning

Denise Lenares-Solomon, Ph.D.
Jamie Lewis-Cox, M.S., LAPC
Georgia M. Pritchard, MEd, LPC, NCC
Allegra Renee Boddy, MEd, LAPC, NCC
Margaux H. Brown, Ph.D., NCC
Mrs. Sonya Weaver

Secondary

EdS program candidates in the Augusta University Counselor Education Program consulted with a local school to develop a data-driven program modeled after the American School Counseling Association National Model. Students analyzed data, highlighted strengths, problem areas, and made recommendations.

After the session, participants will have more knowledge about creating and developing the ASCA National Model to implement in the school setting as well as have a better understanding of the challenges and advantages of using the national model. Presenters will use powerpoint and handouts to present information to the participants. Following the presentation, participants will be encouraged to ask questions to the presenters.

ASCA Model
Academics
Graduate Students

Phoenicia L. Grant

Secondary
Post-secondary/Admissions

This practice-oriented presentation provides counselors with a foreign transcript evaluation toolkit for working with immigrant and refugee students. When transfer credit is awarded for foreign transcripts, a graduation pathway is forged. Students can bridge past knowledge with present expectations and concentrate on courses needed for graduation. The transcript evaluation framework presented operates within a framework of school and district policies, state laws and regulations and professional ethics standards.

Historically, English language learners (ELLs) have not received equitable educational services and resources (ASCA, 2005).  ELLs are more likely to drop out of school when compared to their English-speaking peers (Z. Sheng, Y. Sheng, & Anderson, 2011). Foreign transcript evaluation allows students to earn transfer credit for classes taken outside the United States. Students can then bridge past knowledge with present expectations and concentrate on courses needed for graduation.

This session will emphasize four learning objectives:

• Understand various international educational systems.
•  Obtain an overview of the transcript evaluation framework in order to positively affect the graduation rates.
• Determine appropriate grade level placement using foreign records.
• Implement the five cultural competencies of multicultural counseling for English Learners

During this session participants will:

• Disaggregate data based on the targeted population (e.g., ELs) and the identified concern (e.g., graduation rate decline)
• Discover how to use data gathered foreign transcripts and educational systems outside the United States to impact instruction
• Receive information about several educational systems (France, Central American, and United Kingdom)
• Gain best practices for evaluating foreign transcripts based on Federal and State law and guidance.

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Redeliver the foreign evaluation framework
• Evaluate a foreign transcript using best practices shared in presentation
• Advocate for appropriate grade level placement for English Learners

Activities:

The workshop includes four activities:

Reflective Think, Pair, Share activity-examine issues in access and equity using article titled, “High School Credits for ELLs Still a Challenge” by Mary Ann Zehr

Essential Questions for Transcript Evaluation Scavenger Hunt activity- work in groups to locate principal information needed to evaluate a foreign transcript using sample transcripts from three educational systems.

Are you Smarter than the Presenter (Formative Assessment) activity- individually find the error(s) on a given transcript evaluation and provide rationale for how error was found.

"The Mission" (Inspired by Mission Impossible) activity - individually evaluate a foreign transcript

 

Tools for working smarter, not harder
ASCA Model
Academics
Personal/Social
Issues in Counseling
New Research
Graduate Students
Career Development
College Readiness
Academic Achievement
Social Emotional Learning

Morgan E. Kiper Riechel, PhD

Elementary
Middle
Secondary
Independent
Counselor Educator, Supervisor

ASCA’s Ethical Standards includes a 9-step process for ethical decision-making, the first of which is to “define the problem emotionally and intellectually.” Many ignore this important dual step, focusing primarily on the intellectual examination of issues at expense of the counselor’s emotional response, which can be a barometer in decision-making. This session will discuss research in decision-making and provide additional resources for school counselors to consider both the “emotional” AND “intellectual” aspect to ethical decision-making.

At this conclusion of this session, audience members will:

• Become re-acquainted with Stone’s (2010) Ethical Decision-making model that is included in the ASCA National Model, with an emphasis on the first step, “define the problem emotionally and intellectually.”
• Understand that a school counselor’s ability to make ethical decisions begins with a sensitivity, both intellectual and emotional, to ethical issues. Subsequent steps in the ethical decision-making model cannot occur without this first step.
• Become familiar with the literature in embodied decision-making which uses the ethic of care and compassion to understand how our physical, bodily reactions and emotions to the environment can help us understand ethical dilemmas in context better than using our intellect alone. Neither process (intellect or emotion) is sufficient on its own
• Receive resources and tools to enhance sensitivity to ethical issues using both our intellectual and emotional capacities as professional school counselors.

Tools for working smarter, not harder
ASCA Model
Issues in Counseling
New Research

Ken Jackson

Middle
Secondary
Independent
Counselor Educator, Supervisor

Counselors are called upon to support all students—including LGBTQ students.  School counselors are fundamentally more aware, competent, and knowledgeable. But is there more?  This program goes beyond the 101 level and explores how we make decisions, and how this looks in real life.  Participants will explore a decision making framework and then apply them to real life scenarios. Bring your challenges and situations as we work together to explore possible counselor responses. 

When it comes to supporting LGBTQ students, counselors have grown in recent years to become more aware and knowledgeable. Many now have a basic level of competency.  They often struggle thought, in how to best implement their support. Real life can be challenging, tricky and blurred. It becomes more difficult if one finds oneself in an unsupportive school community

To give them a framework, participants will examine an LGBTQ Student Action Decision Making Model. They will also look at characteristics and possible responses for three different types of school communities: Hostile, Tolerant, and Affirming.  Participants will then look a real life scenarios and apply the decision making model based on school type

 

Description

The session will cover three areas:

1. LGBTQ Student Action Decision Making Model- They will look at an approach that I have used for 20 years when consulted about LGBTQ issues in schools. It covers equality, equivalence, and equity.
2. Participants will review types of school communities (hostile, tolerant, and affirming). These represent the types of schools I have worked in when supporting LGBTQ students. I will give examples and help the participant analyze their own situations.
3. Scenario discussion- Participants will then discuss real life scenarios—both the ones I bring as examples and ones that they choose to generate. Once we brainstorm these scenarios, they will be grouped. They will then apply the decision making model to the scenario. All of the cases are adapted from real events that have occurred in schools.

Tools for working smarter, not harder
Personal/Social
Issues in Counseling
Social Emotional Learning

Robert Rice and Marianna Sullivan

Elementary
Middle
Secondary

Academic and social emotional success can be challenging for some students and there is an increase in students who engage in self-harming behaviors. Research shows that 14% to 35% of adolescents (ages 14-22) and 8% of children (ages 7 to 16) engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors. Presenters will offer research based interventions and strategies you can use today for helping students of all ages who engage in NSSI find safer coping strategies for success.

 

The DSM-V defines Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) as the deliberate harm or destruction of body tissue without suicidal intent and that is not socially sanctioned (i.e. tattoos and piercings). This injurious behavior may including cutting, scratching, burning, eraser burning, picking, hair pulling or hitting (banging) so as to cause harm to the body. Though this type of non-suicidal behavior has been around for many years, the increase among children and adolescents has become alarming. Early studies showed the incidence of this behavior to be as high as 14 to 35% among high school and college age students. More recent studies show younger trending with as many as 8% of children between the ages of 7 and 16 engaging in NSSI, (Barrocas, Hankin, Young, & Abela, 2012; Fitzgerald & Curtis, 2017).

 

Whether this increase and onset at a lower age is a result of students’ intensified and premature efforts to regulate and control runaway emotions, or constitutes a cry for help, or imitative behavior encouraged from the attention given NSSI by the media, school counselors are often the first to see the effects on our students and our schools. Our response to students who engage in NSSI is necessary and critical. As leaders and mental health advocates, professional school counselors are in a unique position to influence and equip our students, parents, and faculty with the tools to combat this growing crisis. With the adoption of the new ASCA Mindsets’ and Behaviors’ standards for students, the American School Counselor Association has placed additional importance on helping students gain the knowledge and skills to “manage emotions and learn and apply interpersonal skills” ( ASCA Mindsets, 2014). As leaders, professional school counselors can educate administrators, teachers, and parents and advocate for students who struggle with NSSI behaviors.

 

 In this session, the presenters will give a brief overview of NSSI, provide research based interventions appropriate for the school setting, and discuss effective collaboration with clinical mental health professionals. During the session emphasis will be placed on the importance of creating a positive and supportive school climate, engaging parents in partnerships, and educating teachers and administrators with the proper knowledge surrounding students who engage in NSSI.

 

Through a PowerPoint slide show, role play demonstrations, experiential group discussions, and handouts/resources, participants will learn proactive and reactive interventions that can be used in their work as professional school counselors with students who engage in NSSI.

 Learning Objectives

Following the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Define the differences between suicide and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior.
2. Define NSSI, types of behaviors, and the relation of NSSI to other conditions.
3. Determine possible contributors for NSSI behaviors (developmental, biochemical, peer pressures).
4. Provide respectful and strength based approaches for students who exhibit NSSI behaviors.
5. Identify several user friendly interventions (proactive and reactive) for use with students who engage in NSSI.
6. Provide healthy coping strategies (alternatives) for students, and advance follow-up procedures with students who engage in NSSI. 

Academics
Personal/Social
Issues in Counseling
Academic Achievement
Social Emotional Learning

Kelli Beechler, Jeri Bryant, Maxine Miller

Elementary
Middle

Learn how Dowell Elementary School implemented Restorative Practices to address school climate, discipline referrals and staff morale. You will learn the research that supports Restorative Practices and how to determine if your school could benefit from implementing this evidence based program.  You’ll walk away with access to materials to share with stakeholders as well as simple and effective practices you can do on a daily basis to make your school more restorative.

Our learning objectives are to teach participants about Restorative Practices and Restorative Circles as well as the guiding philosophy that supports it.  We will include the research that supports the use of Restorative Practices and Circles and its impact on academics, discipline referrals, interrupting the school to prison pipeline, violence prevention, school climate and staff morale. The whole school implementation of Restorative Practice Circles will be reviewed, examples of  resources like Restorative Practice Circle binders and other products will be examined and showcased. Participants will engage in interactive training activities demonstrating how circles are conducted. Participants will learn and practice affective questions and restorative questions; two of the most useful and easy ways to implement parts of Restorative Practices. Participants will walk away with everything they need to discuss and implement Restorative Practices Circles with stakeholders in their buildings.

 

Personal/Social
New Research
Social Emotional Learning

John O. Nwosu, Jr., Ed.S.

Elementary
Middle
Secondary
Independent
Counselor Educator, Supervisor
Post-secondary/Admissions

A coffee shop is the last place many would expect to experience discrimination. The reality is that bias is extensive, pervasive, and persistent. Whether in a classroom or coffee shop, complex systems of implicit bias contribute to people being treated differently for identical behaviors. In this experiential session participants will explore 1.) updates in multicultural/social justice counseling competencies, 2.) the relationship between implicit bias and inequality, 3.) complex systems, and 4.) tools for increasing equity.

After attending this workshop participants should be able to…

1. Summarize significant changes in the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (2016)
2. Discuss the relationship between implicit bias and structural inequality
3. Explain bias from a Networked Ecological Systems paradigm
4. Use strategies and tools for providing more equitable school counseling programs

Program Outline:

1. Intro - 3m
2. Norms & Expectations - 3m
3. Pre-test - 2m
4. Values - 7m (Examine aspirational v. actual values and outcome gaps in education and healthcare. Discuss the role of a professional school counselor/purpose of the ASCA Model and their relationship with equity.)
5. Recent updates in MCSJC Competencies - 30m
   • Intersectionality (Examine the Intersections of social identities)
   • Social Justice (Define Social Justice, Complex Systems of Power, and Implicit Bias. Explore the relationship between implicit bias and systemic inequality.)
   • Action (Discuss ways to increase equity at all levels of a school counseling program by using the ASCA model)
6. Review - 3m
7. Post-test - 2m
8. Triangle, Circle, Square - 3m (Critical reflection activity)
9. Q&A - 7m

For more information:

• http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/research/understanding-implicit-bias/
• http://haasinstitute.berkeley.edu/
• http://www.centerforsocialinclusion.org/
• http://www.racialequityalliance.org/
• http://complexitylabs.io/course/complex-adaptive-systems-course
• https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-2013/the-schooltoprison-pipeline

Tools for working smarter, not harder
ASCA Model
Personal/Social
Issues in Counseling
New Research
Graduate Students
CCRPI
Social Emotional Learning

Maria Sherrod
Leslie Kollasch
Mesha Bolton

Elementary
Middle

Our students are innundated with technology.  How can we get and keep their attention?  By infusing technology into our lessons . . . of course!  We will show you how we have used program such as Nearpod, Kahoot, ClassFlow and Google Appications to liven up your lessons.  

By the end of this session each participant will:

• Have ideas on how to use current technology programs in their counseling lessons
• Have been exposed to various ways to use technology for different purposes and outcomes
• Have an opportunity to use the technolgy from a student and teacher-pespective

The audience will actively participate in activities using technology.  They will also be given resources on how to make the programs work for their school setting and student population.

 

 

Tools for working smarter, not harder
Information Technology

Peter Vajda, Ph.D.
770-804-9125
7490 Whitmire Rd. Cumming GA 30028
Ph.D. - Education, Cognitive Psychology
Educator, administrator (18 yrs.) NYU, Mercy College (NY), St. Michael's College (VT) and Suffolk County SS(LI, NY), Trainer/Facilitator in areas of Change Management (20 years)

Elementary
Middle
Secondary
Independent
Counselor Educator, Supervisor
Post-secondary/Admissions

So much of what stands in the way of successful, sustainable change in the academic and counseling world are the perceptions, rationalizations, justifications, excuses and stories we’ve created (as children) that keep us locked in old habits and patterns as administrators, educators and counselors. In this presentation Dr. Peter Vajda shares his knowledge, experience and training of how and why we resist change. Participants explore and share their experiences with resistance to change, and discuss what's holding them back. Together we look at the underlying cause of our resistance. Peter then provides valuable insights, practical exercises and powerful tools to support participants to accept, engage and embrace change from a place of equanimity, serenity and inner peace in their lives at work (and at home, at play and in relationship).

 

Objectives:

 

1. Understand the mind/intellect alone cannot effect true and real change; the inner wisdom of the heart and body are necessary for change to be lasting and sustainable.
2. Understand and practice with mindfulness and focusing (right-brain activities) that support one to experience the state wherein one's real and authentic self can show up; the self that is more open and receptive to change
3. Practice allowing one's fear, accepting one's fear and feeling one's fear in a mindful way that provides the doorway into transformative change and growth

Take aways:

 

1. When I'm acting as a self-aware, mature, and responsible adult (rather than an unconscious emotionally reactive 4-5-6 year old), and I experience myself in a state of equanimity, inner peace, calm, balance and harmony, I'm more open, accepting, and curious, and less defensive and reactive about change.
2. I didn't know what I didn't know about how my early-childhood self-limiting and self-sabotaging programming shows up in my adult life.
3. While the trigger for my reactivity to change may be "out there," the cause of my reactivity is inside me. It's never about "him," "her," "it" or "them."Audience: Those educators, administrators and counselors whose capacity to contribute to, and support, the health and well-being of their campuses, and the performance and productivity of individuals and teams is hampered by their inability or unwillingness to adapt to change. Those professionals who allow their (often self-limiting, often unconscious) hard-wired perceptions, assumptions, beliefs, and "stories" to get in the way of being more committed, engaged, open and accepting of change. Those professionals who overtly or covertly allow their resistance to change to cloud their objective evaluation of events, circumstances, choices and decisions.
4.  

 

Tools for working smarter, not harder
Academics
Personal/Social
Issues in Counseling
Career Development
Social Emotional Learning

Nadiya Boyce Rosen, Melissa R. Mecadon-Mann

Elementary
Middle
Secondary
Independent

For many students, obtaining mental health counseling services is not possible due to cost, transportation, and documentation/residency concerns. School counselors are often faced with the reality of addressing clinical issues at school in addition to their normal day-to-day responsibilities. This presentation will provide multiple tools and research-based interventions that can be used to plant seeds and foster growth with elementary, middle, and high school students who experience anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues.  

Rationale: As more and more students enter into mental health counseling treatment for trauma-related anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues, the need for school counselors to support these students beyond the clinic has become vital in schools throughout the United States. A common concern among school counselors is the lack of time available to support students in need of long-term counseling treatment. Additionally, many students and families are not able to attain counseling services due to the cost of services, concerns with transportation to and from counseling sessions, and documentation and residency concerns.

Ideally, a school counselor’s primary responsibility is to provide a comprehensive school counseling program for all students covering multiple domain areas including academic, career, and social and emotional development. In reality, school counselors are often tasked with covering these domain areas and school support duties (ex. bus and lunch duty, collaboration with teachers and student support teams to manage RTI, 504s, and IEPs, student aptitude testing, etc.) while also working with students individually and in groups to address behavioral issues, anxiety, depression, and other issues related to trauma. In addition, though many school counselors throughout Georgia and the United States graduate from CACREP-accredited institutions with the training and eligibility to become licensed professional counselors and have the capacity to provide therapeutic assistance to students, there is a lack of self-efficacy regarding the ability to address the mental health needs of students. Nearly one in five children have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder, yet only 20% of those students with those needs receive mental health care (CDC.gov). There is a need for greater knowledge of school-wide and group curriculums, online programs, and resources that will allow school counselors to effectively support students without adding to the time constraints that school counselors face on a daily basis.

Objectives/Outcomes: The objective for this presentation is to address the constraints and self-efficacy concerns that school counselors may have by introducing school counselors to online and interactive technology interventions that can be used to help students struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, and behavioral issues. Viewers and participants will receive theoretically-based resources and classroom and group curriculum that can be used for work with students at the elementary, middle, and high school level.

Opportunities for audience participation: Using Kahoot! (a game-based learning platform) audiences will be able to assess their own knowledge while participating in an engaging and interactive session. Discussion will be encouraged throughout the presentation to identify the pain points and learning edges that participants have experienced in their roles.

Handouts/resources: A handout with a list of resources will be provided for participants to implement with students. Presenters will collect email addresses for further questions and correspondence.

Tools for working smarter, not harder
Personal/Social
Issues in Counseling
Social Emotional Learning
Information Technology

Lauren Hodges
Dawn Hadley

Middle
Secondary
Counselor Educator, Supervisor

13 Reaons Why became an overnight sensation when Netflix picked it up for a TV series.  The series deals with difficult topics (teen suicide, bullying, rape, alchol and drugs), and left schools scrambling to support students who had read or witnessed these topics where blame was no longer faceless.  ASCA has provided support for the school community and families.  As school counselors, this provides a good opportunity to bridge the gap between home and school.

Fiction collides with our world on a daily basis, and provides us with unique perspectives on difficult topics we would not otherwise have. We can choose to ignore them, or be proactive and embrace these teachable moments.  The Netflix series based on the book 13 Reasons Why has provided an opportunity for the school community and families to support our students with conversations about difficult topics like teen suicide.  

Objectives/Outcomes:

To acknowledge the role that school counselors, teachers, parents and students play in recognizing signs of depression, self-harm/suicide, bullying and sexual assault.

To encourage discussions about difficult topics that face our student populations, but are often ignored because they are "taboo" and/or people feel ill-equipped to address them

To distribute resources from ASCA that help school counselors provide support to teachers and staff, parents and students.

To encourage the school community to embrace teachable moments.

Participants will be asked to share what they know about 13 Reasons Why.  A prezi will guide participants through each of the learning outcomes with specific examples from the Netflix series and how it affects our population of students.  Stigma will be addressed, and misinformation corrected (for example, talking about suicide increases the risks or plants ideas).  Information will also be provided about informing parents about trendy material that appeals to their students, but requires supervision and/or discussion.  We will also discuss how to support families through materials provided by ASCA.

Prezi and Materials will not attach

13-Reasons-Why-Season-1-Discussion-Guide.compressed.pdf
13ReasonsWhyStaffParentsStudents.pdf
AFSP13Reasons-parents.pdf

 

Personal/Social
Issues in Counseling
Social Emotional Learning

Avery Bradley

Elementary

In our society, there is a growing deficit of interpersonal skills necessary for creating and maintaining strong, life-long relationships. Designed for the Girl Scout Gold Award, the encourageME program utilizes lessons, discussions, and engaging activities to teach older elementary school students these valuable friendship skills. This presentation, given by the Girl Scout behind it all, shares the incredible impact of the program and how it can easily be used within the classroom.

The proposed presentation is centered around the encourageME program, a program designed to promote supportive friendship skills among fourth and fifth grade students. This program was created as a Girl Scout Gold Award project and has been successfully implemented at four elementary schools to date. The presentation learning objective would be to share how to use the program and the program resources within the classroom, as well as what the students will gain from completing the program. As far as audience participation and handouts, the first part of the presentation would replicate the first part of session one of the program. The audience would participate in watching the lesson video, going through the discussion questions, and doing activities that reinforce the lesson. The second half of the presentation would discuss the overview of the program and the student impact, including the valuable skills they gain and how those skills translate later on in their lives. The handouts would be copies of the lesson plan for part one of the four-part program, as well as an information page that includes a link to the website with the remainder of the program materials.

Social Emotional Learning

Kim Jackson-Allen, Ed.D.

Middle
Secondary
Post-secondary/Admissions

Have you ever wondered what was going on in an adolescent’s head or what an adolescent was thinking? If you work with adolescents, then the answer is probably a resounding yes. Believe it or not, there is a reason why adolescents differ from adults in the way they behave, solve problems, and make decisions. This engaging presentation will offer a detailed overview of how we can better understand adolescents and how we interact with them.

Have you ever wondered what was going on in an adolescent’s teenager’s head or what an adolescent was thinking? Do you continue to scratch your head about why they do some of the things they do? If you work with adolescents, then the answer is probably a resounding yes. Believe it or not, there is a reason behind this and the reason is actually a scientific one. Plain and simple, adolescents differ from adults in the way they behave, solve problems, and make decisions. By increasing your sphere of learning about adolescent brain development, you will grasp and better understand their behavior. Through the lens of a professional school counselor, this engaging presentation will change the trajectory of your work with students by:

1. Helping you to communicate more effectively with teenagers.
2. Helping adolescents control executive functioning skills.
3. Helping adolescents develop efficient higher order thinking skills.
4. Helping adolescents develop effective problem-solving skills.
5. Helping adolescents regulate their emotions.

Additionally, during this session, participants will have an opportunity to engage in small group activities to dialogue with colleagues and leave with a job-embedded professional learning experience to take back to their school setting.

Academics
Personal/Social
Issues in Counseling
Academic Achievement
Social Emotional Learning