Come Learn with Us!
School Social Work and Mental Health Professional Events
Professional Learning Events- Arranged by Topics
The following is a list of Professional Learning Events that have been proposed for the 2015-16 School Year. These offerings should be of specific interest to school social workers and may be of interest to other mental health professionals and educators. Social Work Continuing Education Hour applications are being submitted for all courses listed (unless noted). All events will be held at Oakland Schools unless otherwise noted.
For more information, please contact Social Work Consultant, Steve Whitmore (click here).
Academic Support
Executive Function Skills for Success in the Classroom
Sarah Ward, SLP
1/19/2016
8:30am-3:30pm
What skills do students need to learn to be organized and successfully manage their own time and tasks in the classroom? This multidisciplinary workshop will provide practical, hands- on strategies to develop students' executive functions skills for success in school. The term 'Executive Function' is used to describe the skill set required for setting goals, carrying out organized steps and modifying a plan to complete a task successfully, all of which are vital for academic and social success in elementary and middle school classrooms. Classroom teachers, special educators and ancillary staff will learn how to work together and use strategies such as 'Tuning In, "Get Ready-Do-Done, 'STOP and Read the Room", and Seeing and Sensing the Passage of Time' to support the success of all students in a classroom, including students with IEPs. Beginners and advanced participants will learn and practice these strategies to improve students' awareness, working memory, hindsight and forethought skills, impulse control, cognitive flexibility, organization and time/task management.
Registration Link: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=126577&cc=COEE&oc=10
More information is available at: http://www.oaklandschoolsliteracy.org/professional-learning/grades-k-5/sarah-ward-national-speaker/
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Homework Helpers: Using Executive Function Skills to Close the Homework Circle (For Parents & Educators)
Sarah Ward, SLP
1/20/2016
7:00pm-9:00pm
(No SW- CEH Credits)
For many students, including students with weak executive function skills, homework is a challenge. Parents and students alike can get frustrated while trying to complete homework. While teachers and school professionals might teach students strategies to break down assignments or to make the material easier to process, parents often are not familiar with these interventions. Parents don't want to be teachers, but if they can have familiarity with these supportive strategies, then they can smooth the homework process. In this workshop, the following topics will be addressed:
- Closing the Homework Circle-Supporting students in recording, bringing home, completing and returning assignments.
- The Homework Space: Learning how to create a positive and productive environment for homework.
- Setting Up Successful Homework Sessions: Learning simple techniques to help students organize and process information for assignments, long term projects and study skills
More information is available at: http://www.oaklandschoolsliteracy.org/professional-learning/grades-k-5/sarah-ward-national-speaker/
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Aggression/Behavior Management
Aggression Replacement Training for Challenging Behaviors
4/15/2016
8:30am-3:30pm
More information coming soon.
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Understanding and Responding to Passive-Aggressive Students - School Psych Series
Mitchell Beck, Ed.D., Professor and Chairperson, Department of Special Education, Central Connecticut State University
3/11/2016
8:30am-3:30pm
This workshop is part of the Skills for School Psychologist Series. Working with passive-aggressive kids can be difficult and stressful to educators. This workshop will take an in-depth look at the roots of passive-aggressive behavior in children, exploring masked anger at five distinct and increasingly pathological levels.
During this workshop, we will explore:
- The developmental pathways to a passive-aggressive personality
- The five levels of passive-aggressive behavior
- The passive-aggressive conflict cycle
- 8 skills for effectively responding to passive-aggressive behaviors
- 6 steps for changing passive-aggressive behavior in the long run
Registration deadline 3/3/16.
Registration link: http://tinyurl.com/PsychSeries3-11-16
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Verbal Strategies to Address Challenging Behaviors
Karen Rusniak, PhD & Jim Wood, PhD
5/19/2016
8:30am-3:30pm
Participants will learn verbal strategies that are designed to help prevent, de escalate, and resolve behavior difficulties. Strategies will be drawn from the most applicable parts of Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI), Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NCI), Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). At the conclusion participants will be able to recognize when to use such strategies and to employ strategic elements. Handouts will be provided electronically.
5/19/16 registration: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=134239&cc=COEE&oc=10
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Crisis and Trauma
After the Crisis: Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Plan (2 Day Event)*
This 2-day course introduces "After the Crisis" management protocols that offer building crisis response team a proven structure to stabilize the aftermath situation, mobilize resources, accelerate normalization of routine, minimize the adverse impact on student achievement (by restoring adaptive functioning): and facilitate access to more help for the seriously impacted students and staff.
More information to come.
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Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NCI)
NCI Hybrid Training
2/9/2016 or 3/31/16
8:30am-3:30pm
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NCI) is a safe behavior management system designed to aid all professional staff in the management of disruptive and assaultive students, even during the most violent times.
Day One - The Preventative Techniques: The focus of day one is to provide nonverbal, paraverbal and verbal skills to maintain the best possible care, welfare, safety and security for both staff and students, while intervening to prevent a crisis. Defense techniques for personal safety will be introduced and practiced.
Day Two - Therapeutic Physical Intervention: When all nonverbal and verbal techniques have been exhausted and when the individual presents a danger to self or others, the use of physical restraint may be necessary.
2/9/16 REGISTRATION: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=134403&cc=COEE&oc=10
3/31/16 REGISTRATION: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=134406&cc=COEE&oc=10
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High Risk Students
Engaging Student and Families of Poverty
Scott Felkey
6/28/15More information to come.
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Mental Health in Schools
Anxiety Disorders: Effective Treatment Strategies for Panic, OCD, PTSD, Phobias and School-Based Anxiety
Dr. Patrick McGrath, Director at Alexian Brothers Center for Anxiety and OCD
5/6/16
Macomb ISD
This workshop is part of the Skills for School Psychologist Series. This session will review the role of anxiety in the school and classroom setting. School Anxiety/School Refusal is a growing trend on our education centers across the country. The problem lies in many areas – students who are afraid to go to school, parents who have difficulties setting limits, and schools that are tied down in red tape and rules that do not allow for good, common sense solutions to the school anxiety program. There are also children who are coming into our schools who have a wide range of psychological concerns, including traumas that some students have experienced either here in the U.S.A. or abroad. Knowing how to best handle these concerns will allow us to better serve the children in our care. Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy, Dr. McGrath will review the treatments of choice for anxiety based problems and discuss how we can address these concerns in both a school environment and in the family unit as well. Registration deadline is 4/28/16. Event held at the Macomb Intermediate School District.
Oakland County Registration Link: http://tinyurl.com/PsychSeries5-6-16
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Understanding School Refusal: Theory and Intervention Strategies
Karen Rusniak, PhD & Jim Wood, PhD
3/23/2016
8:30am-3:30pm
Children refuse school for many reasons. Therefore, intervention is not a one-size fits all approach. Understanding the particular dynamics involved informs interventionists as to which strategies should be applied. This workshop is designed to assist special education and general education school psychologists, social workers and counselors in tailoring effective empirically based strategies to manage school refusal. Handouts will be electronic. Participants should bring their devices.
Registration Link: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=128191&cc=COEE&oc=10
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Safe Schools and School Culture
Bully-Free Schools Circle of Support for Learning
2 Day Training
February 10 & 11, 2016
Strategies to impact the behavior of students who engage in bullying and other forms of peer-to-peer aggression––including an intervention process that teaches alternative behaviors. Elements of effective limits and consequences, and strategies to ensure school-wide consistency. Strategies to support the "targets." Strategies to empower "bystanders" and change cultural norms. Strategies to work with the parents of bullies and targets. Tips for implementation and integration with existing school initiatives, such as PBIS and MiBLSi.
Registration Link: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=135736&cc=COEE&oc=10
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Bully Free Schools: The Next Step
February 12, 2016
Bully-Free Schools: The Next Step Workshop is designed for teams from schools that have already attended a 2-day Bully-Free Schools training at Oakland ISD. One of the goals of the training is to better prepare school staff to conduct the Investigation and Reflection steps of the Individual Intervention Process (IIP). Time in the workshop will be provided to critique (anonymously) schools' drafts of rubrics and completed reflection forms so we can learn from each other's efforts. The rest of the workshop will be specifically tailored to address participants' needs.
More information coming soon.
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Restorative Practices
January 12, 2016
8:00am-3:00pm
This workshop equips school personnel with the necessary skills to facilitate the Restorative Practices Circle Process in their classrooms. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: establish a positive community in their intervention space by learning how to use the circle process in preventative ways; effectively address mis-behaviors; expand their postiive climate management tool belt; and improve learning.
January 12 Registration Link: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=135600&cc=COEE&oc=10
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School Social Work Practice
CoT and the SSW Role (3 Evenings)
Jennifer Hollander
1/26/2016, 2/9/2016 & 3/8/2016
5:30pm-7:30pm
The goal of this course is to give social workers an opportunity to learn the philosophy and foundation of Cultures of Thinking, explore and participate in Thinking Routines, and discuss how to use these routines when working with students individually, in small groups, or when doing whole classroom lessons in another teacher’s classroom. Social workers will come away with an understanding of why Cultures of Thinking is vital to the future academic success of our students and the challenges of helping many of our students with special needs to think deeper and be able to visually explain their thinking. Social Workers will learn and experience 7 Thinking Routines and will discuss how these thinking routines can be integrated into working with students. Social workers have many unique needs as they are the sole social worker in that school. By exploring and experiencing these thinking routines together, participants will feel supported by their peers to risk trying something new with their students. In addition, social workers will also learn how to integrate thinking routines into their curriculum to best meet IEP goals. Each participant will receive a copy of the book, 'Making Thinking Visible.' Note: SW-CEH's are awarded to eligible participants at the end of the series.
Registration Link: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=133194&cc=COEE&oc=10
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SSW PSA Community of Practice: Winter ' 16 Event
1/14/2016
4:30pm-7:15pm
This event is for SSWs who work in Public School Academies & Charters Schools. School social workers will identify common practice strengths & challenges and spend time using a problem-solving model to work through some of the identified issues. Some time will be set aside for compliance questions as well. (Minimum of 7 required)
EVENT REGISTRATION LINK: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=131304&cc=COEE&oc=10
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Social Skills
Emotionally Literate Learners! (The RULER Approach of Social Emotional Learning.)
Marc Barckett
January 29, 2016
8:30am-3:00pm
Creating Emotionally Intelligent Schools is an innovative and highly interactive workshop rooted in a “hard science” approach to what has historically been called “soft skills.” Participants will learn how emotions impact attention, memory, decision making, performance, and one’s overall well-being. Participants leave with in-depth knowledge about “why emotions matter” in the achievement of our students. They will have an opportunity to preview and learn information about the anchor tools used in the RULER protocols. Some which include: tools like the Mood Meter to build both self-awareness and a more sophisticated emotion vocabulary and the Meta-Moment to both prolong and effectively manage that crucial “space” between our emotional triggers and responses. These tools can be used immediately at school to achieve greater personal and professional success.
Registration Link: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=129164&cc=COEE&oc=10
Michigan Model
Elementary K-6
3/15/2016
8:30am-3:30pm
The Michigan Model is planned sequential K-12 curriculum that addresses physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions of health. Students that have received the Michigan Model Curriculum had stronger skills for communicating and getting along with other. Better skills in managing their feelings and actions, improved attitudes about taking actions to stay safe and stronger drug and tobacco refusal skills.
Registration Link: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=132568&cc=COEE&oc=10
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Middle School
4/19/2016
8:30am-3:30pm
The Michigan Model is planned sequential K-12 curriculum that addresses physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions of health. Students that have received the Michigan Model Curriculum had stronger skills for communicating and getting along with other. Better skills in managing their feelings and actions, improved attitudes about taking actions to stay safe and stronger drug and tobacco refusal skills.
Registration Link: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=132572&cc=COEE&oc=10
SEL Intervention: Why Try?
Level 2 (2 Days)
2/23/2016, 2/24/2016
8:30am-3:30pm
The Why Try? Level 2 training builds on the principles you have applied from Level 1 (ten visual analogies, Why Try? music, learning activities, role-plays and applications in different settings). The training gives strong focus to successful implementation of Why Try?’s learning activities which are particularly helpful in group environments for increasing participation and creating a learning atmosphere. In addition, this training shows how to effectively use multimedia as a teaching tool in the school setting. Behavior support/management and creating buy-in are integral parts of this advanced training. The training is useful for anyone using Why Try?, regardless of their experience level. This link is for Oakland County Special Educators. All others may register at: www.whytry.org. Lunch on your own.
Event Registration: https://events.oakland.k12.mi.us/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=133271&cc=COEE&oc=10
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