Pre-Convention Workshops ($40 each):
Thursday, October 23, 2008

9:00-12:00

Data Selection for Accountability Measures
Dr. Madelyn Isaacs
Counselors are asked to use data in an number of ways in their jobs: planning and developing one's program and annual activities, identifying and serving targeted populations or to solve targeted problems, advocating for individual students or systemic change, producing accountability measures and results for program evaluation or continuous improvement, and for communicating school counseling effectiveness to families, teachers, administrators or other local and state stakeholders. In this workshop counselors will be introduced to thoughtful and simple principles and practices to select, analyze and present data using action research and other practical approaches.

Strategies that Work for Immigrant and LEP Students
Dr. Mercedes ter Maat
Culturally diverse schools demand creative solutions. School counselors are paramount in assessing the needs and providing opportunities for the emotional growth and academic success of immigrant and LEP students. This presentation is geared toward professional school counselors working with immigrant, Limited English Proficiency (LEP) children and adolescents in school settings. By using PowerPoint slides and handouts, samples of student art and written work, a pre- and post-evaluation, and detailed group sessions descriptions, participants will (1) understand the emotional, physical, and environmental stressors faced by immigrant students and their families; (2) learn concrete, step-by-step art tasks to be used in a group that assists immigrant students in the process of acculturating to the school environment; and (3) utilize a simple evaluation tool to assess the effectiveness of group work when working with immigrant and LEP students.

1:00-4:00

Current Legal and Ethical Issues in School Counseling
Dr. Carolyn Stone
The school environment poses competing interests between a student's need for confidentiality and the legal rights of parents as established by the U.S. Supreme Court to be the guiding voice in their children lives in value-laden issues. Participants will develop an ethical decision making framework for analyzing and resolving ethical issues through the application of ASCA ethical codes, case and statutory law, school board rules, and community standards. Through small group and large group discussion of 40 case studies, participants will be given the opportunity to increase their understanding of the complexities of respecting a minor's right to confidentiality, to develop a sensitivity to the need to consider their actions in context of each situation for each individual student, and to understand the rights of parents. Topics of discussion will include areas such as confidentiality and duty to warn, minors' rights to privacy, counselors' responsibilities toward suicidal children, civil and criminal liability, sexually active minor clients, birth control, abortion counseling, defamation, child abuse, HIV positive students, case notes and educational records, malpractice in academic advising, sexual harassment, the Hatch Amendment and guidance curriculum, and personal conduct.

Games and Play to Enhance Counseling Sessions
Ms. Grace Wilhelm
Counselors will receive an overview of self-assessments, stress reduction, anger control and management, communication skills, passive, aggressive, assertive behaviors, and behavior modification techniques to use with students in the areas of academics and personal social skills. In this workshop counselors will receive hands-on practice using games to encourage students to talk about their goals, ideas, and frustrations and to facilitate discussion, goal setting, and create strategies. Games are used to enhance the counseling sessions so counselors receive more insight and students are better able to express their feelings, make sense of what is happening, and then create workable plans and goals to move ahead.

Post-Convention Workshops
Saturday, October 25, 2008

1:00-4:00

Student Mental Health Issues School Counselors Face
Dr. Miles Cooley
The number of students in regular classes who exhibit mental health and behavioral disorders is increasing. Teachers have received little or no training about how to respond to these students and frequently request consultations from school counselors.  The workshop will describe behaviors of students with mood and anxiety disorders, AD(H)D, and Asperger's Syndrome. Effective accommodations and strategies for dealing with these students will be presented in order to enable counselors to be more helpful to teachers.

Cyberbullying: Beyond the Internet and Name-Calling
Dr. Carlos Zalaquett
The purpose of this workshop is to provide school counselors with valuable information about cyberbullying and to increase awareness of this growing problem among today’s youth. The Internet has become another channel for kids and teens to socialize and interact. However, youth and adults should be aware of the potential risks that come with accessing the Internet - one of them being cyberbullying. Assistance in developing plans for individual schools will be provided.