In-Service Workshops

For students to maximize outcomes across home, school, and community, it is integral that parents be considered partners in their child’s education, including behavioral programming that both decreases challenging behavior and promotes skill development. Oftentimes, however, there is a lack of communication between educators and parents that can lead to misunderstandings, frustration and mistrust. As a result, a student’s learning and generalization of skills may be negatively impacted. Bridging the gap between home and school may be done through compassionate communication and collaboration with all team members at school and at home. In this workshop, we will discuss ways to improve our communication and collaboration skills with parents.

School personnel will learn select DBT skills and how to use them with students to improve emotion regulation. This workshop can be tailored for any staff although is geared toward counselors, specialized classrooms, and 1:1s who work with emotionally dysregulated students (e.g. paraprofessionals).

In this interactive presentation, students will explore the importance of decision making and how everyday choices—big or small—can impact their future. Through real-life scenarios, group discussions, and problem-solving activities, participants will learn practical strategies to:

• Identify options and consequences
• Recognize the influence of peers, emotions, and media
• Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Use a step-by-step decision-making model
• Reflect on personal values and long-term goals

Whether it's choosing friends, handling peer pressure, or planning for college and careers, this session empowers students with tools to make thoughtful, responsible decisions in all areas of life.

How do you identify depression in friends and loved ones and what steps can be taken to provide support while also respecting privacy and confidentiality? When should concerns about self-harm and suicide demand action and what can be done? This presentation is designed to help students better understand depression and suicidal ideation and empower them to be vigilant of signs of trouble in themselves and others.

In this workshop, participants will learn about trauma and strategies that will help school communities build consistency, predictability, and compassionate accountability into their policies. If desired, participants will begin to review and revise current school policy and develop sustainable, trauma-sensitive implementation plans.

A workshop designed for educators and school leaders on helping students succeed and flourish with technology in the classroom. Discover effective ways to use educational technology, the positives of negatives of technology in education, and the future of the school system as it grows alongside digital education. Analyze real research from Generation-Z about their preference of technology in the classroom, as well as their particular preferences of different virtual platforms used to enhance learning. This presentation and collaborative-style workshop is led by Keegan Lee, a member of generation-Z, and psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina.

Understanding the implementation of effective research-based tier one interventions is fundamental to the MTSS process. This includes school-wide expectations, routines, incentives, and strategies that are clear and consistent. Participants will develop an understanding of structures and supports to help all students to feel safe and successful.

Designed for all K-12 school personnel, this 2-part workshop series aims to build a compassionate school system by challenging and empowering each member to be intentional about their approach to mental health. These interactive and engaging sessions explore strategies to improve systemic well-being and eliminate mental health stigma, while also facilitating authentic connections and self-care strategies as antidotes to isolation, stress, and burnout. Offered in partnership with Minding Your Mind, this in-person series invites participants to examine their attitudes, values, and actions regarding emotional well-being, both for themselves and their colleagues. Each session lasts 60-90 minutes and is exclusively available to school staff and administration.

We continue to find ourselves dealing with post-COVID children's developmental and learning gaps, decreased social engagement among both children and families, and interfering behaviors that occur at school, at home, and in the community. In this critical moment, we need to bridge the gap between school and home by focusing on relationship-building, collaboration, and skill-based programming across settings. This workshop will provide recommendations for how to establish partnerships that facilitate collaborative goal setting, problem-solving, and intervention development that align with both school and parent values. It is also integral that educational programming from preschool to high school teach students meaningful behaviors and skills that lead to improved academic productivity, social engagement, and self-advocacy in educational, familial, and community contexts. We will discuss evidence-based approaches for teaching socially significant skills in a way that builds on the school-home partnership while promoting generalization and maintenance of these skills and behaviors.

Many students may comprehend classroom instructions and lessons, but struggle with organization and managing academic production demands, including homework and writing assignments. This workshop identifies the specific areas and skills involved in executive functioning, methods of assessment, and how we can effectively address this challenging area for students. This presentation is only available to educators.