In-Service Workshops

Every day, educators bear witness to the impacts of trauma in their classroom. Young people share their stories with us through behaviors (acting out, withdrawing, overachieving), attitudes (angry, distracted, anxious), and their own words. We care deeply about our students and creating a safe and supportive learning environment. As teachers, we also have our own stories and our own pain- both past and present. The goal of this workshop is to create a space to acknowledge the cumulative toll bearing witness to trauma can have on us and develop strategies to care for ourselves and support one another in doing this important and impactful work.

Prom is a special night one should always remember. Nothing will spoil that memory more than underage substance use, or worse, bad decision making. This presentation is for juniors and seniors ahead of prom, educating them on the dangers of underage substance use and unhealthy decision making and empowering them with alternatives to ensure their prom is a night to always remember!

This presentation is designed to educate students on the dangers and realities of vaping. Participants will learn about the health risks associated with e-cigarettes, how vaping is marketed to youth, and the impact nicotine can have on developing brains. Through real-life stories, current data, and interactive discussions, students will gain the tools to critically evaluate vaping culture and resist peer pressure. The session also highlights strategies for making healthy choices and provides resources for those seeking help to quit. Ideal for middle and high school audiences, this presentation promotes awareness, empowerment, and prevention.

Participants will learn the basics of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and how to implement CBT in their own personal lives and during treatment. Participants will also learn the inter-relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviors and how they interact with decision making and maladaptive behaviors. Participants will receive tools defining and addressing cognitive distortions, the dysfunctional response cycle and confronting cognitive distortions by meta-cognition. Participants will receive tools to implement during clinical sessions and group therapy.

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.

This dynamic professional learning experience is designed to help school staff move beyond “positive culture” and toward building a truly powerful school culture—one that is intentional, aligned, and deeply rooted in shared purpose. Participants will explore how strong cultures are built through clarity of vision, consistent adult behaviors, collective accountability, and a relentless focus on student success.

Through engaging activities, reflection, and collaborative dialogue, staff will examine the beliefs, habits, and systems that shape their school’s culture every day. The session highlights how language, expectations, relationships, and leadership—at every level—can either strengthen or weaken the culture. Participants will learn how to build trust, increase staff cohesion, and create an environment where both students and adults feel valued, challenged, and supported. The workshop also focuses on sustaining momentum—equipping staff with practical strategies to reinforce core values, address challenges proactively, and ensure consistency across classrooms and teams. By the end of the session, participants will leave with a shared understanding of what a powerful school culture looks like and actionable steps to bring it to life in their daily practice.

• Ideal for: Teachers, administrators, support staff, and school leadership teams
• Format: Interactive, reflective, and team-based learning
• Outcome: A clear, aligned approach to building and sustaining a powerful, high-expectation school culture that drives student and staff success

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 it 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.

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.

This 90-minute workshop allows participants to have an honest conversation about conflict; specifically, this discussion explores having difficult conversations but also having difficult conversations with difficult people. There is a difference between the two, but both can be challenging! The presenter provides an honest conversation and tips to increase your confidence when it comes to engaging in these types of conversations, even for the most conflict avoidant individuals. You have the Competence, Now Own Your Confidence!