NJASP Winter Conference 2020

NJASP Goes Virtual

for

Winter 2020 Conference!

                                  December 4, 2020

       Earn up to 16 CPD's for one registration fee! See below for details.   

Keynote

The Power of Possibility: Using Positive Psychology to Promote Happiness, Optimism, and Resiliency in Students

Wendy Price, Psy.D., NCSP

National Association of School Psychologists President

• Participants will explain the foundational concepts of Positive Psychology/Strengths-Based Approach
• Participants will understand how NASP is addressing member needs
• Participants will explain one of each of the following:  NASP resources, activities, and advocacy efforts

Dr. Wendy Price completed her doctorate in School Psychology at William James College in August of 2015, following a year-long clinical internship at Walden Behavioral Care (a residential eating disorders clinic). For the past 20 years, Dr. Price has worked as a school psychologist at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, in Whitman, MA. n her role, Dr. Price is involved in a number of activities, including: assessment, counseling, consultation, supervision of school psychology interns, and mentoring of staff. She is also a Crisis Team and Student/Teacher Assistance Team member. Prior to COVID, she traveled around the country, presenting to associations and school districts on positive psychology, eating disorders, and self-injurious behaviors. Dr. Price is currently presenting these topics virtually. Dr. Price has been involved in leadership in both the state and national level and is currently the NASP President 2020-2021.

Morning Workshops

9:45 AM – 12:15 PM

WORKSHOP 1:

Fix These 2 Things First!

Ennio Cipani, Ph.D., Author and private practice, Visalia California

Why do some students respond to instructional conditions with significant oppositional and disruptive behaviors? This webinar will focus on the diagnosis of the following two factors (using the Cipani Behavioral Classification System) that often prevail with such students during instructional conditions: the instructional material is too hard (i.e., instructional mis-match) or it is way too lengthy for them. Two direct classroom measures will be presented and depicted. The “fix” for each type of problem, i.e., interspersed tasks and tolerance training respectively, will be delineated.

This session will help participants:

• Delineate the two escape functions involved in maintaining problem behavior during instructional conditions
• Identify methods for determining if instructional material difficulty is the pervading function of problem behavior during instructional conditions
• Identify methods for determining if instructional session length (i.e., wacky contingency) is the pervading function of problem behavior during instructional conditions
• Identify functional treatment if instructional material difficulty is the pervading function of problem behavior during instructional conditions
• Identify functional treatment if instructional session length (i.e.,wacky contingency) is the pervading function of problem behavior during instructional conditions

Dr. Ennio Cipani is the author of a popular text, Functional Behavioral Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment (3 rd edition) which was ranked #1 in the 10 best behavioral psychology textbooks by wiki.ezvid.com (May, 2020). He is a co-author of the pioneering Cipani Behavioral Classification System for Children and Adolescents (Cipani & Cipani, 2019; free pdf for attendees) and has also authored a series of articles in Communiqué on functional behavioral assessment. Since 1983, Ennio has been a California licensed psychologist “who made house calls”; he and his behavioral staff provided on-the-spot training of parents and teachers on specifically designed contingency interventions for the individual referral problems. Many of his real-life cases in homes and schools are chronicled in the above text and a free online parent-guide to behavioral consequences (Cipani, 2004).  

WORKSHOP 2: 

Applied Trauma Informed School Approaches

Eric Rossen, PhD, NCSP, Director, Professional Standards at National Association of School Psychologists, Silver Springs Maryland

As districts increasingly recognize the impact of stress, adversity, and trauma on students, schools must now consider how to implement these trauma-informed approaches within their unique contexts, all while balancing existing demands and school-wide initiatives.  This webinar will help prepare educators and administrators with the fundamentals of providing trauma-informed approaches in our schools, both in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19 and in the long-term.  

This session will help participants:

• Define and describe “trauma” and “trauma informed”
• Describe and recognize influence of cultural background on individual responses to trauma
• Identify steps to implement trauma-informed practices within an MTSS framework, and embed approaches within existing school infrastructure (e.g., discipline policies, report-writing, IEP development)
• Apply trauma-informed principles amidst COVID and significant disruption to students’ and families’ lives.

Dr. Eric Rossen is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, a licensed psychologist in Maryland, and a credentialed National Register Health Service psychologist. Dr. Rossen has worked in public schools and in independent practice and has served as a college instructor and adjunct faculty at the University of Missouri and Prince George’s Community College. He has presented across the US and internationally, and published dozens of articles and book chapters related to school psychology, school safety, and trauma. He is most recently the editor of Supporting and Educating Traumatized Students: A Guide for School-Based Professionals, 2nd Edition, and co-author of the book Applying a Trauma-Informed Framework to The IEP Process: From Referral to Development.

You can learn more about Dr. Rossen on his website: www.ericrossen.com; and follow him on Twitter: @E_Rossen

WORKSHOP 3: 

Assessing Self-Injurious Behavior (Cutting):  A Primer for School Mental Health Workers

Wendy Price, Psy.D., NCSP, NASP President 

This workshop will provide foundational information regarding self-injurious behavior (SIB), including definitions, prevalence rates, causes, and an overview of evidence-based treatments for SIB (CBT and DBT). The workshop will also introduce participants to the HIRE model: a tool for the informal assessment of SIB developed by Buser and Buser (2013). Participants will also receive guidance in the important components in developing a school wide protocol for assessing/supporting self-injurers.

This session will help participants:

• Describe the reasons why individuals self-harm
• Apply the HIRE model to assess self-injurious behavior
• Describe the most effective therapeutic approaches to working with youth who self-injure

See “Keynote” for bio

Afternoon Workshops

12:30 - 4:00 PM

WORKSHOP 4: 

Peer Supervision Techniques to Improve Practice

Bradley D. Petry, Psy.D., Baltimore City Public School, Baltimore Maryland

This webinar will review research related to peer supervision techniques, discuss how peer supervision is currently used in a large, urban public school district as part of a systems-change initiative, and will provide opportunities for participants to practice the skills and techniques reviewed.  There will be opportunity for discussions related to generalizing the techniques to personal practice and across a wide range of professional and/or district needs.

This session will help participants:  

• Explain practical techniques for peer supervision
• Apply a framework of peer supervision techniques to their professional position
• Engage in peer supervision techniques as part of their professional roles

Dr. Bradley D. Petry is a school psychologist in Baltimore City Public Schools. During his tenure he has engaged in a wide variety of roles including mentorship, professional development, systems-change, specialized assessments, and peer supervision. He currently co-leads a team of related service providers in expanding roles of educational practitioners to focus on prevention and early intervention. He has taught graduate courses in school psychology, has presented at national conferences, and has authored several articles for professional newsletters. He has recently co-authored a chapter on neuropsychological assessment of preschool-age children. His professional interests include systems change, peer and professional supervision, education reform, school safety and threat assessment, neuropsychological assessment practices, and professional presentation. He is the current President-Elect and Immediate Past-President of the Maryland School Psychologists’ Association (MSPA) and the 2012 MSPA Outstanding Practitioner of the Year. Brad lives in Laurel, Maryland with his wife and two children.

WORKSHOP 5:  

How schools can promote students’ psychological well-being during the pandemic and beyond

Beth Doll, PhD., Professor, University of Nebraska Lincoln

Mental health rests on two pillars. This session focuses on the 2nd sometimes neglected pillar – psychological well-being. After defining psychological well-being, and summarizing the evidence for its importance to school mental health, strategies will be described to infuse well-being promotion into school classrooms. The psychological strength training program described in this session can reinforce students’ resilience and leave them better prepared to weather the uncertainty and disappointments of schooling during a pandemic.

This session will help participants:  

• Define ‘psychological well-being’ and summarize the its importance for school mental health
• Know how to promote psychological well-being within school mental health services
• Know the 5 essential components of well-being promotion
• Know 2-3 activities for each component that can be integrated into classroom transition times
• Know resources for identifying additional well-being activities

Dr. Beth Doll  began her career as a school psychologist in rural Kentucky and a clinic coordinator at the University of Wisconsin Madison – experiences that afforded insights into the mental health needs of children that she applied successfully in her research on topics spanning children’s friendships to the pragmatics of measuring student perceptions of classroom climate. Dr. Doll’s principal research interest is the promotion of mental health and the psychological well-being of children, and classroom environments that contribute to students’ resilience. Her developmental investigations examine classroom factors that may contribute to students’ psychological wellness or psychological distress. Dr. Doll was recently awarded the 2020 Legend’s Award and the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Association of School Psychologists. She is a member of the American Psychological Association’s Board of Education Affairs and co-editor of a soon-to-be released book, Fostering the emotional well-being of our youth: A school-based approach.

WORKSHOP 6:

The Neuropsychology of Written Language Disorders:  An Introduction to the FAW

Steven G. Feifer, D.Ed., NCSP, ABSNP, Monocacy Neuordevelopmental Center, Fredrick Maryland

This presentation will explore the neuropsychological underpinnings of the written language process and how to assess for specific writing disorders in children. The ability to generate and produce written language requires multiple linguistic skills involving both phonological and orthographical functioning, efficient word retrieval, executive functioning skills to organize and plan our thoughts and ideas, and working memory to hold our thoughts in mind long enough for effective motor output. A breakdown in these fundamental cognitive, linguistic, or motoric processes can result in various subtypes of written language disorders. Numerous intervention strategies for struggling writers will be offered.

This session will help participants:

• Learn how to craft an appropriate assessment battery to measure written language skills in children.
• Develop more effective intervention strategies for students who struggle with writing and spelling skills.
• Learn how to administer and interpret the Feifer Assessment of Writing measure.

Dr. Steven G. Feifer, is an internationally renowned speaker and author in the field of learning disabilities, and has authored eight books on learning and emotional disorders in children.  He has more than 20 years of experience as a school psychologist, and is dually certified in school neuropsychology. Dr. Feifer was voted the Maryland School Psychologist of the Year in 2008, and awarded the 2009 National School Psychologist of the Year by the National Association of School Psychologists. He was the recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Contribution to the Education and Training of Psychologists award by the Maryland Psychological Association. Dr. Feifer currently assesses children at the Monocacy Neurodevelopmental Center in Frederick, MD, is a consultant to a variety of school districts across North America, and is a popular presenter at state and national conferences. He has authored three tests on diagnosing learning disabilities in children, all of which are published by PAR.

FEATURES OF OUR VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

• Conference attendees can receive up to 16 CPDS, which are NASP and APA approved!

• Registrants have the opportunity to attend two live webinars, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and will receive CPDs upon completion of a quiz and session evaluation.

• All sessions will be recorded and available for 3 months after the conference for registrants for review!

• Registrants can earn additional CPDs by viewing and passing a quiz and completing a session evaluation!

• A virtual awards ceremony and raffle giveaway will be hosted at the end of the conference!

• If you are unable to attend a live webinar for which you registered, you can access the content later to earn CPDS.

• Mail in registrations must be received by 11/18/2020 in order to guarantee access to the webinar and additional handouts.

• If you must cancel your registration, cancellation must be received by 11/25/2020, in order to receive a full refund.