For this webinar series, participants will automatically be enrolled in all 5 sessions.

Speaker

Julie B. Cullen, LICSW, Ed.M.

Description

Today’s classrooms include a diverse group of students with a diverse set of learning needs. Building an effective classroom environment where all students feel safe, connected, and regulated is critical for academic success. This webinar will explore common obstacles and ways to navigate them within overall classroom design. Concepts of trauma and neurodiversity, along with common behavioral presentations will be presented.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must attend all 5 sessions and successfully pass a quiz following Session 5. Within 24 hours of the live webinar, registrants will be emailed a link to view the recorded webinar. The recording will be made available for 7 days after each session.

In order to fully and effectively engage in planned curriculum, all students must feel safe, connected, and regulated in the classroom. While many students are able to find this in traditional classrooms, the impact of trauma and neurodiversity can create obstacles. This session will introduce the importance of trauma informed, neurodiversity affirming practices within the classroom, in order to create an effective environment for all students.

Neurodiverse students often compensate for their struggles by masking their behavior and working to appear “typical”. A great deal of energy is used to contain urges and force unnatural behaviors. This leads to burnout and exhaustion, and impacts students ability to fully access curriculum. This session will explore common masking behaviors, strategies to promote authentic engagement, and implementation within the whole classroom.

Once dysregulated, students impacted by trauma, and those who are neurodiverse struggle to return to a regulated state, leading to an inability to access curriculum. Their behavior can appear oppositional and inappropriate. This session will explore related behavioral concepts, as well as strategies to support overall classroom regulation for all students.

Meeting the sensory needs of neurodiverse students can be critical to their ability to focus and attend to lessons and assignments in the classroom. This session will explore common sensory needs, ways to address them proactively throughout the day in the classroom, and strategies for individual needs during more difficult moments.

This session will put all of the work from the previous meetings together to explore what a classroom built with this model would look like and how it would function. Participant questions/ obstacles/ case examples are welcome.

About the Speaker
Julie B. Cullen, LICSW, Ed.M.

Julie B. Cullen, LICSW, Ed.M., (she/her) graduated from The University of Vermont in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, before enrolling in a graduate program at Boston University. She graduated in 2002 with a Master’s in Social Work and received a Master’s in Special Education in 2003. Her professional career began in residential treatment, where she received intensive training in both Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and the treatment of Developmental Trauma. After spending several years as a clinician and Clinical Director in this setting, Julie spent time in a therapeutic public school environment before opening her private practice in 2012. Working with children, adolescents, and families has always been at the heart of Julie’s professional life. She hopes to bring humor, knowledge, and empathy into each experience, to bring out clients’ resiliency, and to provide families with a sense of hope for the future.

Membership Information

Most MPY webinars are available ONLY to current staff from member districts and organizations. Public school memberships include police and fire personnel. Former and retired employees and members of committees, including but not limited to, PTO/PTA, PAC, School Improvement Councils, Health Councils, Drug/Alcohol Councils, and school volunteers, are not considered MPY members.

PDPs and CEUs

MPY is an approved Professional Development Provider through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (Provider No. F20180079). Professional Development Points (PDPs) are offered for most MPY professional development webinars. PDPs are issued in 10 hour increments, per DESE requirements.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for clinical staff through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc. (MaMHCA). The NASW and the MaMHCA approve each event individually. CEUs may be given in hourly increments.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must past the quiz.

Event Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to attend a MPY webinar you must cancel, through Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org, one business day before the webinar.

For MPY hybrid conferences, the date in-person registration closes will be posted on MPY’s website. Virtual conference registration will close one business day before the hybrid conference. You cannot cancel or switch your registration from in-person to virtual after in-person registration closes. Please email Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org with any questions regarding registration.

 

Register

FREE
MEMBER PRICING
Register Now

All sessions are 9:30 am – 11:30 am.

  • Session 1: September 25, 2025, Engaged Learning through Safety, Connection, and Regulation
  • Session 2: October 9, 2025, Masking vs. Authenticity
  • Session 3: October 23, 2025, Regulation vs. Disruption
  • Session 4: November 6, 2025, Sensory Seeking vs. Sensory Avoidance
  • Session 5: November 20, 2025, Examples, Case Studies, and Conclusions