Sharing Tools for Your Toolbox!

WORKSHOPS- For School Counselors and Educators

Sessions can be presented in 1.5 to 4 hour sessions

1.“Help, He’s Driving Me Crazy!!”  Behavior Management for Older Students

As a school counselor, you are the go-to person for behavioral concerns.  While counselors should NOT be involved in discipline, they are the most qualified person on campus to deal with behavior management.  This workshop provides lots of tips, tricks, and proven, research based strategies for you to share with your staff when they need help dealing with behaviorally challenging students. 

2. “Little Kids, Big Problems” Behavior Management for Elementary Students

Behaviorally disordered Elementary students require a different approach than those in upper grades.  This workshop will provide you with a solid foundation of preventive techniques, along with management tools for a wide variety of behavioral challenges.  Teachers rely on school counselors as the mental health and behavioral specialists to help work with these students, and this workshop prepares you to assist them.
 

3. "Are You as Smart as a Buzzard?-How to Avoid Becoming Ethical Roadkill"

Ethics can be scary, or confusing, or both.  This session takes a light-hearted look at ethics through the lens of animal behavior.  The session reviews major ethical guidelines from the ASCA and ACA Codes of Ethics, with a twist.  See what we can learn from buzzards, ants, dolphins, rats, and more.  This session also includes important updates to the ASCA Standards published in 2016

4. “Attention, Please-Strategies for Helping the ADHD Child (labeled or not) in the Classroom”

Students with attentional problems challenge even the most seasoned educators.  School counselors are often responsible for helping teachers develop effective plans for dealing with students with attentional issues. This workshop explores the latest research on children with ADHD, looks at various interventions, and provides a wealth of information about making the classroom experience more manageable for both students and teachers.  Both behavior management and modifications for these students will be covered.  

5. “Parents in Your Pocket” Promoting Positive Home-School Relationships”

Every student has a parent (or several!).  This session will help you to develop a common sense plan for overcoming parental resistance, promoting positive relationships with parents, and solving problems with parents BEFORE they become serious. 

6. “Getting to BEST Behavior”

The new IDEA guidelines specify that Response to Intervention be carried out PRIOR to testing for students suspected of having Learning Disabilities.  It is also required in cases where behavioral difficulties interfere with a student's ability to benefit from intruction.   This workshop will provide you with forms, interventions, and a plan for your campus to help your students get to BEST behavior. It's not just for Special Education anymore!!

 

7. “Mental Floss- Stress Management for Counselors”

It’s June, the kids are gone….why am I still so stressed out??!  This experiential workshop will allow participants to explore “stress-busting” strategies, as well as learn techniques to help manage stress in their lives.  The ethical standards for counselors specifically address wellness and managing stress, so it is an ethical as well as a practical issue.   Wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to relax and quench burnout before it starts!

8.  “It’s All About Character- 10 minute Character Education Lessons”

The state mandates Character Education, but when can anyone find the time?  This workshop presents a wide variety of brief, but effective lessons covering various aspects of character development.  All lessons require a minimum amount of materials, and can be presented in 10 minutes, or expanded to fill a 30-45 minute time slot.

9.  “The Science of Character-Using Science to Reinforce Character Lessons “

Build your classroom’s interest in science with the fun, inexpensive, and easy to do experiments that demonstrate various chemical reactions and principles of Physics.  Slime, goo, explosions and more!!

10. “Unlocking the Winner Inside-Success Strategies for Middle and Upper Grades”

How many times have you heard (or said!), “He can do the work.  I don’t know why he isn’t passing.”  Many unsuccessful students do not have a learning disability, or a lack of intellect.  They lack organizational and study skills that are critical to classroom success.  This workshop approaches study skills from the standpoint of learning styles and intelligences.  Help your students discover how they learn best, then watch them succeed!

11. “Pack Your Bags for Success-Strategies to Help Elementary Students Succeed at School”

With No Child Left Behind and Adequate Yearly Progress staring educators in the face, it is essential that we teach elementary children strategies that will help them study and learn successfully.  This workshop presents strategies to help teachers and students discover learning styles, set goals, make decisions, stay organized, and Study more effectively.

12. “ ‘A’ is for Autism-Working With Students on the Spectrum”

Autism spectrum disorders are becoming more and more common in our schools.  While lower functioning autistic students are normally served in Special Education classes, higher functioning autistic students are usually served in Regular Education.  This workshop will give staff information about the characteristics of these students and strategies to help them be successful at school.

13. Positive Behavioral Support-What is it and How Can it Help Me??

Years of research indicate that thoughtfully designing a school wide program of positive behavioral supports can significantly reduce discipline problems, increase time spent learning, and ultimately increase test scores.  As the counselor, you are in the best position to help bring this information to the staff and implement change on a campus wide level. This workshop presents the basic principles behind positive behavioral support, shares resources, and prepares your staff to implement these techniques in your school.
 

14. "I Can Do it BY MYSELF! Teaching Self-Regulation to Young Children"
 

Research shows that the ability to self-regulate is a better measure of school success than IQ.  This workshop explores the development of self-regulation, and provides a variety of techniques and strategies for helping pre-school and early elementary students to develop the ability to regulate reactions, emotions, and behaviors.  Techniques can be utilized with individuals, small groups, or whole classrooms.
 

15. " Preparing for Takeoff-Helping Secondary Students Make a Soft Landing on the Career and College Runway"
We do a great job of preparing our students academically for post-H.S., but we have all seen our high school high fliers crash and burn in the post-secondary world.  Just because they have reached upper grades does not mean that they have learned to self-regulate, study effectively, or manage their time and emotions, all essential for future success.  This workshop provides tools and strategies to help prepare middle and high school students to be successful following graduation by teaching them self-regulationI

Keynotes  Presented in 30 minute to 1 hour sessions

1. "Are You as Smart as a Buzzard- How to Avoid Becoming Roadkill at Work"  

We might think of buzzards as ugly, stinky, scavengers, but they are surprisingly wise and can teach us a lot about how to be successful.  Join a former biologist turned counselor and discover 10 principles of behavior from our friend, the buzzard, that will help you fly with the eagles at work.   

2. "Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire!-Firing Up Your Performance"   

Some think of the fire as a dangerous place to be, but unless you turn up the heat in your professional life, you will never achieve all that is possible for yourself or your constituents.  Learn about how perseverance, attitude, and iNtent (PAN) can help you to turn your achievement from merely warm to boiling, and how you can move from the frying pan into the fire(d) UP!  

3. " You Have to Keep Pedaling-Staying Balanced on the Bicycle of Life" 

In order to keep a bicycle upright, you have to keep pedaling.  Life is much the same way-in order to accomplish things in life, in order to stay healthy, happy and productive, you have to keep moving forward.  This inspiring session uses a bicycle to explore the various aspects of your personal life and goals and helps you to develop a plan to keep on pedaling to success. 

Feedback from Workshops:
 

Well done presentations with relevant content and personable, knowledgeable presenter.  Thank You!
 

I loved your buzzard analogy.  It was a fresh and new way of looking at our ethical responsibilities. I hope to see you again in the future.  
 

Well organized and relevant!
 

Thank you for such an engaging presentation!  Very informative!
 

I felt the workshop was beyond my expectations!  Excellent workshop!