Presenter and Northshore Recovery High School Principal Michelle Muffett-Lipinski, left, with Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth Executive Director Margie Daniels. (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
WAKEFIELD — Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) hosted an in-person conference, “Motivational Interviewing: A Non-Punitive Approach to Communicating with Students to Make Better Choices,” on March 31 at Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton.
Michelle Muffett-Lipinski, Founder and Principal of Northshore Recovery High School, led 75 educators, school administrators and support staff through the training.
Blue Hills Superintendent-Director Jill Rossetti began the conference by speaking about the necessity of collaborating to address student needs. She explained the importance for educators to remember the “why” that guides their career.
Muffett-Lipinski held a discussion exploring theories of personal and professional connection, including the Mattering Theory, Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Liminal Space. These theories taught participants ways to better support students as they encounter challenging decisions and changes, as well as hands-on tools to motivate students to make necessary changes in their lives.
The training reviewed the processes and methods of MI, a collaborative communication style designed to explore and resolve a person’s hesitation towards change. MI’s empathetic, evidence-based approach helps individuals find motivation and commitment to positive behavior changes. MI is used across various fields, including addiction treatment, health care and mental health.
For over 25 years, Muffett-Lipinski has worked as a principal and director in alternative school settings. Through her nonprofit, Potential Connections, she founded the icanhelp program, which aims to connect vulnerable young people with trained personnel. Muffett-Lipinski also worked with local school districts to found the PASS program, which assists students who would otherwise be traditionally suspended by offering a supportive, therapeutic environment and utilizing early intervention strategies.
Muffett-Lipinski shared her experience leading the training.
“It was an honor to present at the MPY conference at Blue Hills Tech in Canton,” said Muffett-Lipinski. “It gave me a chance to work with some of the most compassionate educators who were all looking for alternative ways to reach out to students so they can better grow, develop and make better choices.”
During the conference, MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels presented Massachusetts State Sen. Paul Feeney with the Student Spotlight Award to recognize his dedication to education. MPY board members and Douglas Public Schools Superintendent Paul Vieira, Stoughton Public Schools Superintendent Joe Baeta and Michael Cassidy, MPY Vice President and Holliston Fire Chief, joined Daniels in thanking Sen. Feeney for his support of MPY.
Sen. Feeney addressed the audience and circled back to Superintendent-Director Rossetti’s opening remarks by sharing his own industry “why” and explaining his passion for leading public education initiatives as a public servant.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth. MPY programming reaches nearly 6,000 educators per year in Massachusetts, spread across approximately 300 districts, with more than 190 webinars and over a dozen conferences and seminars.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission. To learn more, visit: massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com.
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Teachers, support staff and school administrators answer questions during Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth’s seminar, “Motivational Interviewing: A Non-Punitive Approach to Communicating with Students to Make Better Choices.” (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
Massachusetts State Sen. Paul Feeney, left, poses with Stoughton Public Schools Superintendent Joe Baeta at Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth’s seminar, “Motivational Interviewing: A Non-Punitive Approach to Communicating with Students to Make Better Choices.” (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
