Workshop 1: How Healing Centered Practices Promote Equity & Favorable Outcomes for Students (1.5 PD Credit)
Presented by Dr. William Blake

Many educators and school leaders are wondering what practices might improve outcomes for students. More specifically, emerging consideration is being given to understanding how Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Restorative Practices might promote equity and improve outcomes for students. This session will help educators to understand the importance of adopting practices that are healing centered. Finally, participants will understand why the time is now to shift towards action-oriented practices.

Workshop 2: Superpsychs: What Separates the Best from the Rest? (1.5 PD Credit)
Presented by Dr. John Murphy

School psychologists aspire to be as helpful as possible to those they serve, and this session provides a practical blueprint for doing that. The workshop draws from scientific studies of top-performing individuals in psychology (superpsychs) and other professions to offer several techniques for becoming a better school psychologist throughout one’s career. These evidence-based tips challenge popular myths and encourage participants to consider what they are already doing to be effective—and what they could do differently—to become even better. The session includes a variety of teaching formats and concludes with an opportunity for participants to translate one or more workshop techniques into personal action plans or “next steps” toward becoming a more effective school psychologist the very next day on the job.

This session will help participants:

1. Challenge popular myths about top-performing individuals in psychology and other professions.

2. Implement at least three evidence-based strategies for improving school psychology service outcomes.

3. Create a personal action plan for enhancing professional effectiveness the very next day on the job. 

11:30am- 12:30pm

Lunch 

DPI Updates

Presented by Tim Peerenboom

ISBE Updates

Presented by Larry Fairbanks

12:30pm - 2:00pm

Workshop 3: Legal Special Education (1.5 PD Credit)
Presented by Jennifer Hansen

Ample evidence suggests that PK-12 students experience racism and other forms of discrimination in school and that these experiences have a deleterious impact on their mental health. Several studies have shown a consistent and strong relationship between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes including increased depression and anxiety, decreased self-worth and self-esteem, as well as psychological maladjustment. The focus of this presentation is to provide an overview of the literature and identify strategies for school psychologists to work towards creating school climates that are safe for all students, but especially for those who are members of racial and ethnic minoritized groups. Specifically, attendees will learn strategies to advocate for culturally affirming school environments, engage in culturally responsive practices, and develop cultural humility.

Workshop 4: The importance of daily "trauma-sensitive" mental health exercises in regular ed classrooms for teachers and students (1.5 PD Credit)
Presented by Dr. Anna Silberg

This 90-minute session will focus on ways that school social workers, therapists and school psychologists can introduce short daily mental health "check-ins" to teachers to practice with their students. Participants will receive images and exercises that they can share with their school staff to enable teachers to feel more empowered to discuss basic mental health topics and help students re-regulate when feeling stressed or dysregulated. 

1. Participants will understand and practice how to approach teaching staff about the necessary role they play in daily interactions with students and strengthening their mental health.

2. Participants will be able to teach and demonstrate basic "trauma sensitive" practices that help all students regulate their nervous systems.

3. Participants will understand the necessary components of daily mental health breaks and topics.

8:00am - 9:30am

Workshop 1: Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Post CoVID World:  Implications for School Psychologists (1.5 PD Credit)

In this Session Dr. Goldstein will briefly review the alarming trends in children’s mental health over the past eighteen months.  He will then address how these data represent even greater risk for youth with ASD. He will briefly introduce the concept of resilience, self-discipline and tenacity. He will provide a set of guidelines and strategies for school psychologists working with students with ASD.
Presented by Sam Goldstein

Three Objectives:

1.  Better understand the increased mental health risks to students with ASD.
2.  Better understand the concepts of resilience, self-discipline and tenacity.
3.  Possess a set of guidelines to apply in my work with students with ASD

10:00am -11:30am

Presented by Dr. Melissa Reeves

This workshop will focus on the 8-steps recommended by the National Threat Assessment Center to ensure a high-quality threat assessment process using a multi-disciplinary team. Research will be reviewed in addition to critical legal cases and ethical guidelines. Within this process, specific strategies and best practice considerations will be presented to address equity, bias, and disproportionality. Multi-disciplinary teams and multi-tiered systems of supports and inclusionary practices will be discussed to help individuals off the pathway to violence and onto a more positive pathway.

At the end of this workshop the learner will be able to:

• list the 8-steps recommended by the US Department of Homeland Security & the Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center to ensure a high quality multi-disciplinary BTAM team process

• explain legal and ethical guidelines to ensure a fair and consistent BTAM process.

• apply specific strategies and approaches to address equity, bias, and disproportionality

• identify multi-tiered systems of supports and inclusionary practices to help an individual onto a more positive pathway.

11:30am -12:30pm
  

Lunch 

NASP Delegates

12:30pm - 2:00pm

Workshop 3:Using a Framework for Ethical Problem-Solving (1.5 PD Credit)
Presented by Dr. Melissa Pearrow

With the recent and unprecedented challenges, school psychologists have had to navigate numerous demands. This session will discuss ethical challenges, on topics such as confidentiality and professional competency, as well as review the revised 2020 NASP Professional Ethics, the Ethical Problem-Solving worksheet, and strategies for responding in an ethically appropriate manner. 

1. This session will help participants

• Become familiar with the 2020 Professional Ethics standards, including roles of EPPB, complaint resolution, advisory opinions on emerging ethical issues, and supporting state association in responding to queries about the parameters of ethical practice.

2.  This session will help participants

• Become familiar with and practice using the NASP guidance document as a framework for problem-solving to address ethical issues.

3.  This session will help participants

• Discuss accepted and evolving standards and principles pertaining to different scenarios and develop strategies for responding to these issues in an ethically appropriate manner.

Workshop 4: Family-School Collaboration in School Mental Health: Promoting Equity and Partnerships (1.5 PD Credit)
Presented by Andy Garbacz

Given such an unprecedented year, and unprecedented times, self-care is more important than ever.  School Psychologists have had their bandwidth taxed, and self-care is vital to build resiliency, while also preventing compassion fatigue and burnout.  Participants in this session will learn about self-care and will leave with tools for their toolbox, while providing opportunities for collaborative support.