Welcome to
NJASP's Annual
Winter 2017 Conference!
December 8, 2017
Holiday Inn East Windsor, East Windsor NJ
Keynote
Power of One: Creating Connections
John Kelly, NASP President
This inspirational presentation will focus on the crucial connections that school psychologists often make with students, which result in transformative experiences in students' lives.
This session will help participants:
- reflect upon their relationships with students and the meaningful and powerful nature of their work.
- Participants will develop methods to connect with students through interpersonal relationships to effect change.
Dr. John Kelly is a school psychologist in the Commack School District and an Adjunct Professor at St. John’s University in the School Psychology program. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical and School Psychology from Hofstra University. Dr. Kelly has studied, published, and presented at numerous national and international conferences on topics that include mental and behavioral health services for children, advocacy training for school psychologists, leadership development, violence and bullying prevention, and suicide awareness. Dr. Kelly is on the Executive Board of the New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP) and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). He is the current President (2017-18). Dr. Kelly has received numerous state and national awards, including the NYS School Practitioner of the Year in 2001 and the NASP School Psychologist of the Year in 2003.
Morning Workshop
8:00 AM - 11:00
WORKSHOP 1: Ethical Issues that Arise for School Psychologists When Using Technology - Dan Florell, Eastern Kentucky University
(This workshop begins at 8:00 and meets the NASP 3 hours CPD in Ethics requirement for NCSP certification)
Ethical decision making has become very difficult for school psychologists as more of the job requires using a variety of technology. Often the technology is so new that school psychologists have difficulty learning how to utilize the technology much less be aware of possible ethical issues in its use. This workshop will look into the use of new technology by school psychologists and raise awareness on possible ethical issues that can arise. This workshop will address Domain 10: Legal, Ethical, and Professional Practice of the NASP Practice Model.
This session will help participants:
- Identify ethical standards that relate to using technology.
- Describe questions that should be asked prior to using particular technologies to ensure the maintenance of client confidentiality and privacy.
- Describe common ethical pitfalls when using technology.
Dr. Dan Florell is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at Eastern Kentucky University and has a private practice. He is a Contributing Editor and writes a technology column for the Communique. In addition, he records podcasts for the NASP website as the NASP Online Communication Coordinator, and is the NASP Historian.
Morning Workshops
8:30 to 11:00
WORKSHOP 2: The Provision of School-based Mental Health Services within a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Framework, John Kelly, Ph.D., NASP President
School psychologists are uniquely positioned in schools to facilitate the development, delivery, and monitoring of prompt, effective, and culturally responsive mental and behavioral health services of prevention and intervention. This presentation will introduce the participants to a Multi-tiered System of Support framework for providing mental health services in schools. Specific intervention strategies and the role of the school psychologist in implementing these strategies will be discussed.
This session will help participants:
- Understand the Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS) Framework and how this applies to the provision of mental health services in school.
- Identify their role at different "tiers" or levels within this framework.
- Identify specific interventions at the different "tiers" which can be applied within their school setting.
See keynote for bio John Kelly
WORKSHOPS 3: – Strong and Calm; Developing Skills for Emotional Regulation, Respectful Communication and Problem Solving - Erin M. Bruno, MA, Rutgers University
(This workshop repeats in the afternoon)
Participants will be taught concrete evidenced based strategies to develop systematic effective Social Emotional Learning Competencies. Hands on activities will be used as well as ways to incorporate SEL into the culture and climate of the learning environment.
This session will help participants:
- Develop systematic SEL programs that will increase resilience
- Increase skills in Emotional Regulation and Effective, Respectful Communication
- Give students a concrete framework to learn problem solving and critical thinking
Erin Bruno, MA, has been working in the field of Social and Emotional Learning, Conflict Resolution, and Anger Management for more than 20 years. Sixteen of those years have been spent working as the Lead Trainer for Rutgers University, University Behavioral Health Care’s Social Decision Making/Problem Solving Program (SDM/PS). Erin has presented and worked with many schools across the United States and assisted in the writing and publishing of the Social Decision Making and Problem Solving Curriculum’s. Erin has worked extensively with administrators, teachers, mental health professionals, parents and students in the field of Social and Emotional learning and continues to be inspired by the dedicated people she has had the privilege to work with.
Workshop 4: An Introduction to a 21st Century School Model for Children with Autism and Other Diverse Needs - Monica G. Osgood, Executive Director of Profectum and Celebrate the Children School, NJ
One in 68 children (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls) are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder according to the CDC and Autism Speaks, and there are too few practitioners trained to provide the interventional help these children need. Even fewer practitioners are available when children get older. This workshop will focus on how schools can meet the needs of diverse learners and partner with parents to create the best outcomes for students.
Participants will be introduced to the philosophy of meeting the child at his or her developmental level and building from there. Essential program components, best practice guidelines, principles and strategies of school models that maximize the potential of all students will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on presumed competence and the importance of relationships and “experience” in the classroom. Affective and emotionally meaningful learning will be demonstrated through video examples from both public and private schools. This workshop is ideal for participants looking to expand their knowledge and skills in programing for learners on the autism spectrum as well as all learners with a wide range of needs including: Sensory, motor, and visual spatial needs
- Communication and language
- Social and emotional
- Cognitive and academic
This session will help participants to:
- Describe a philosophy that supports comprehensive and progressive school programs for students with diverse needs
- List the components of a 21st Century School for students with diverse needs
- Identify best practices, principles and strategies for maximizing progress in students with diverse needs
- Describe how emotionally meaningful, experience-based lessons support comprehension and retention of skills
- Describe how an interdisciplinary approach to intervention meets the unique needs of individual students
Monica Osgood is Children’s founder, Monica G. Osgood, is an experienced behavioral consultant and therapist who specializes in using developmental approaches to support children with autism and other differences in relating and communicating. She is also the Founder and Director of the Developmental Center for Children and Families and Executive Director and a founding member of the Profectum Foundation. Monica has worked in homes, therapy centers, and private and public school settings for over 20 years. Some of her experience has included assessment and the development of intervention programs, curriculum and IEP development, and parent and professional training.
In 1998 Monica created the first public school program with the Developmental Individual Relationship-based (DIR model) approach as the core philosophy. In 2000 she was the first educator to join the Senior Faculty of the Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning(ICDL) to provide interdisciplinary training in the DIR Model. During her time with ICDL Monica served as Faculty for all of their yearly training institutes, spoke at many of their conferences and had the opportunity to work closely and collaborate with Drs. Greenspan and Wieder to further develop the DIR Model in school settings. In 2004, she collaborated with Lauren Blaszak to open a state-approved, DIR Model school for children ages 3-21 in Denville New Jersey now serving over 70 school districts and 130 families.
Additional accomplishments include many speaking engagements at conferences and participation in television, radio and newspaper interviews across the USA, Wales, Ireland and Amsterdam. Monica has appeared on Welsh Channel 4 and BBC1 documentaries, sharing the DIR model approach with British parents and professionals. Monica and the Celebrate the Children school were featured in a TIME Magazine cover story in May of 2006. She serves on the Advisory Board for 3LPlace and the National Advisory Council for The Centers for Exceptional Children. Monica also serves on the Economic Development Advisory Council and the Sustainable Economic Development Plan Steering Committee for her local Town Council. Finally, she collaborated with twice Grammy nominated children’s artists Dan Myers and Brady Rymer on an album and music video celebrating diversity in children with all abilities released April 2011.
Afternoon Workshops
12:45-3:30
WORKSHOP 5: The Foundational Capacities for Development (FCD) to Meet the Needs of Learners with ASD - Monica Osgood, Executive Director of Profectum and Celebrate the Children School, NJ
This session will introduce participants to the DIR Model’s expanded intervention goals through the Foundational Capacities for Development (FCD) to include the experiences that promote (functional) competence and meaning for an individual across the lifespan. The FCD’s provide foundations tailored to the child and family's’ individual profiles that allow every individual to maximize the benefits of DIR!
Learn how understanding Individual Differences while providing a broad range of experiences, respectful expectations, and fostering functional and reliable communication shape a sense of self in individuals with diverse needs, and how families, clinicians and educators can grow with them. This session will include a review of experiences and interactions that support or get in the way of developing core competencies to function successfully, and how anxiety and behaviors impact on progress.
This session will help participants to:
- Describe the components of the FCD portion of the DIR-FCD Model and how each one is relevant for making developmental progress across the lifespan.
- Create ways to implement the FCD’s into their own setting - be it clinic, home, school
- Utilize experiences and interactions that will support each individual and also minimize the development of anxiety and related behaviors
See morning workshop 4 for bio for Monica Osgood
WORKSHOP 6: Strong and Calm; Developing Skills for Emotional Regulation, Respectful Communication and Problem Solving, Erin Bruno, Rutgers University
This workshop is a half day workshop with the same session running in the AM and PM
See workshop morning 3 for description and bio for Erin Bruno
WORKSHOP 7: Adolescent Development and How Cyberbullying Fits In - Dan Florell, Eastern Kentucky University
Cyberbullying has gone from a rare occurrence to something that occurs frequently, particularly in middle and high schools. Unfortunately, the way cyberbullying manifests is constantly evolving as technology changes. This workshop will highlight the latest technology that adolescents are using and how developmental factors in adolescence influence their use of technology to cyberbully. The workshop will then focus on possible directions for school policy and interventions.
This session will help participants to:
- Participants will be able to identify several developmental factors that influence cyberbullying.
- Participants will be able to identify social media and technology that is commonly used to cyberbully.
- Participants will be able to describe characteristics of cyberbullying and its’ prevalence.
- Participants will be able to generate possible interventions to minimize the impact of cyberbullying in their schools.
See morning workshop 1 for bio Dan Florell
WORKSHOP 8: Adding Mindfulness to Your School Psychology Toolbox - Terry Molony, PsyD, NCSP, Licensed Psychologist
Mindfulness research suggests that cultivating a mindfulness practice is related to physical and mental health benefits for all ages and backgrounds. Specifically, mindfulness programs in schools can lead to improved attention, self-regulation and empathy in children. In this skill-based workshop, mindfulness activities, including games and counseling strategies will be demonstrated for school psychologists to use in schools with diverse populations, as well as to enhance their personal lives.
This session will help participants to:
- Describe the research on mindfulness practice in schools with diverse populations of different ages
- Apply mindfulness strategies for use with students (individually, small group and class-wide) in schools,
- Design mindfulness techniques for use with teachers in consultation
Terry Molony, PsyD, NCSP, is a school psychologist in NJ, where she infuses mindfulness into every day. In addition, she is an assistant clinical professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Terry was selected as NASP’s 2014 School Psychologist of the Year and NJASP's School Psychologist of the Year in 2013.
For a printed copy of the Winter Conference brochure:
Brochure Winter 2017 .pdf
