2017 Annual Conference

Dr. Jolie Daigle
Dr. George McMahon
Dr. Karen Griffith

Counselor Educator, Supervisor

This presentation will highlight current preparation trends in school counselor education. Changes in the CACREP 2016 Standards, school counselor certification, and licensure will be discussed. Additionally, trends in school counslor preparation such as embedding behavioral health and post-secondary planning in the counseling curriculum will be presented. 

A panel of school counselor educators will provide updates/changes on the new CACREP 2016 standards, certification, and licensure as it relates to the training of counselors. Additionally, examples of embedding behavioral health and post-secondary planning in the counseling curriculum will be discussed by the panel members. After each panel member gives a brief presentation, audience members will be able to ask a few short questions. After all the panel members have presented the presentation content, audience members will then be able to ask additional questions and panel members and audience members will be able to have deeper discussions. A power point will be included in the presentation as well as a handout for audience members. Learning objectives for this presentation includes: 1. Learn how the changes in the CACREP 2016 Standards impacts counselor preparation, 2. Understand recent changes in state certification and licensure, 3. Understand new trends in counselor prepration such as behavioral health and post-secondary planning and ways to embed the content in an exisiting school counselor preparation curriculum. 

Ms. Shironda Brown

Dr. Natacha Billups-Thomas

Middle

GCSA Proposal

Cutting On the Edge: The Self-Injury Puzzle and How It Is Trending During the Middle School Years

 

 

 

 

Ms. Shironda D. Brown,   MS, Ed.S

8^th Grade School Counselor/ Lead Counselor

Burke County Middle School/ District Burke County Public School

356 Southside Drive

Waynesboro Ga 30830

(706) 554-3532- Work

(706) 993-8879 – Cell

Educational Background- Fort Valley State University, Cambridge College

Honors: Featured in May DOE  Spotlight  Counselor’s  edition

GCSA Proposal

Cutting On the Edge: The Self-Injury Puzzle and How It Is Trending During the Middle School Years

 

Self-Injury behavior such as cutting is becoming prevalent during the middle school years. The notion is that students are doing this as a suicide attempt, but the main emphasis according to research would be that it could be linked to emotional imbalance, depression or attention seeking behaviors. However, it is interesting during the twenty first century to discover that self- injury behaviors are trendy and an area of concern during the middle school years. It is also a known fact that the most popular students preferably “girls” will demonstrate cutting out of peer pressure or just simply keeping up with this newfound trend. Boy’s in the middle school year’s typical display self- injury behavior like cutting because of depression. Consequently in this presentation risk factors will be explained about prevalence and onset warning signs that are typically linked to this self inflicted injury. Moreover this presentation will captivate techniques that can be utilized in such a way could be helpful to teachers, parents, and administrator’s since some self injury behaviors occur during the middle school sector. In this presentation, it will be also be explained how self- injury usually occur repeatedly and is impulsive by students.  The most common methods are demonstrated by these young people are: skin cutting (70-90%), head banging, and burning.  Other forms of self-injury include excessive scratching to the point that blood is drawn; this injury could exemplify a therapeutic feeling to release pain or being infatuated with the sight of seeing blood drawn. Furthermore this presentation will also demonstrate how common self- injury occurs, and how research indicates that this occurrence can also happen with adults in the United States (approximately 4%). Research also emphasizes that rates are higher among adolescents, who seem to be at an increased risk for self-injury with approximately 15% of teens reporting some form of self-injury behavior. Students who participate in self-injury report they feel empty inside, lonely and not understood by others, so cutting may be the alternative approach to increasing self-esteem. Self- injuries are often a way to cope and relieve painful situations or when students can’t express themselves, but generally do not become a suicide attempt. Students who engage in self- injury behavior resolve interpersonal difficulty, like a disagreement with friends, or deal with interpersonal problems of boredom. However, since counselors are in the business of a helping profession, it would be good to encourage the students to safely release painful feelings of journal writing and discuss the writings with those particular students.    Last, this presentation will exemplify a sound structure process of forms that can be utilized when encountering students who are displaying self –injury behaviors.

 

 

Ms. Shironda D. Brown,   MS, Ed.S

8^th Grade School Counselor/ Lead Counselor

Burke County Middle School/ District Burke County Public School

sbrown@burke.k12.ga.us

356 Southside Drive

Waynesboro Ga 30830

(706) 554-3532- Work

(706) 993-8879 – Cell

Educational Background- Fort Valley State University, Cambridge College

Honors: Featured in May DOE  Spotlight  Counselor’s  edition

 

Sherilyn Narker

Middle
Secondary
Independent
Counselor Educator, Supervisor

Are you interested in free digital, print, and consumable materials to help students become college and career ready? If so, the Atlanta Fed has the answer! Using Navigate: Exploring College and Careers, students receive a workbook that becomes a portfolio for their post-secondary path as advisors lead them through the activities. Invest in What's Next is a similar program in digital format that begins with lifestyle choices. Free professional learning for your teacher advisors is available.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta provides free instructional materials and professional learning to educators. The purpose of this conference presentation is to share all of the materials we have available to school counselors and their teacher advisors (if applicable). We have a free comprehensive curriculum on college and career exploration called Navigate. There are lesson plans for counselors and teachers to use when leading the program with students. All students receive their own free Navigate workbook designed to be a portfolio of their college and career plan. All participants in the session will receive a sample copy of the teacher and student guides. In addition to this formal curriculum, we will also share many other free digital and print materials they can use to teach students about topics such as college and career readiness, soft skills, personal finance, entrepreneurship, and understanding workplace and tax documents. All participants will receive an Opportunity Occupations infographic poster, a set of Personal Finance infographic posters, and a USB drive filled with materials, lessons, and activities as well as instructions for how to access and use our online resources. Participants will find out how they can arrange free professional learning from the Atlanta Fed for counselors and teacher advisors in their school systems throughout Georgia.

Lucy Mason, Dr. Wendy Rhodes, Jennifer Morse, Heather Brindle

Secondary
Counselor Educator, Supervisor
Post-secondary/Admissions

FREE COLLEGE CREDIT! TWO FOR ONE DEALS! MOWR THE NEW WAY OF DUAL ENROLLMENT! 

This program will focus on how to set up a successful on and off campus MOWR program at your high school.  We will review every step involved starting with the parent presentation to students picking their classes. We will address those tough AP vs. MOWR questions and discuss the student and school benefits to the program. 

The following learning objectives/outcomes will be presented during this session

I. What is MOWR?

We will briefly review the state's MOWR program and the opportunities that it provides students. We will educate the audience on how to market and sale the program to students, parents, your school and administration.  We guide you on how to answer those difficult AP vs. MOWR questions. We will discuss the student and school benefits to the program. 

II. Partnership with Colleges 

We will discuss the importance of a partnerships with your local colleges and how your local colleges can help you. We will present the MVHS MOWR on campus program and discuss the benefits to having a MOWR program on your high school campus. We will present data to demonstrate the effectiveness and growth of the program since implementing the on campus program. We will present a guide on how to set up the program in your own high school.  

III. The MOWR maze of paperwork 

We will share our step by step guides to help parents and students with the paperwork. We will discuss the roles and ways that teachers, clerks, administers and counselors can support the program. We will present the additional supports that you can provide at your school to help with parent questions and walking students through the paperwork. 

IV. Questions 

We will address FAQ and allow the audience to ask the presenters questions. 

 

Shiva-Binet Walker

Middle

Developing an effective 6th grade Peer Helper Program that can be adapted school-wide.

In many cases, School Counselors with limited time, have difficulty implementing the number of programs and events desired without assistance. Incorporating a peer helper program into your school counseling program can help relieve this concern. Join me in exploring how peer helpers enhance the effectiveness of your program by increasing outreach and the expansion of available services. During our session you will learn how to implement a peer helper program to your sixth graders, seventh graders and/or eighth graders. You will also be provided with the tools to start the program once you return to your school.

Lauren Butler, School Counselor Gwinnett County Public Schools, Laura Spencer, School Counselor, Gwinnett County Public Schools ,

Elementary
Middle
Secondary

Scientists are actively studying mindfulness and the positive impacts it can have on our brains.  In the book, Masters of Mindfulness, the fifth grade students in Mr. Musumeci’s class, who are the authors of the book, describe mindfulness as “a precious thing.”  Join this interactive session as we explore the data driven uses of mindfulness in your School Counseling program.  

Join the Ivy Creek Elementary Counselors as we share fun, innovative ideas to engage students in mindfulness. Students in Kindergarten- Third grade report mindfulness helping them fall asleep easier, handle peer/sibling conflict better and have overall increased calm in their lives.  Various resorces such as, GoNoodle to Masters of Mindfulness will be highlighted.  Participants will leave with a clear understanding of mindfulness, a list of resources to use immediately within their counseling program and outcome data to share with stakeholders.  Come see what Mindfulness is all about and leave feeling.... well, more mindful. :)

Christina Cotsakis Cordón
Farhana Rahman
Olivia Beck

Elementary
Middle
Secondary
Independent

Do you need money to enhance your school counseling program? Grant writing seems scary, but it does not have to be. In this step-by-step grant writing seminar, you will learn how to find, evaluate, and write successful grant proposals to buy evidence-based programming, build your resource library, or begin an innovative new program. Resources will be provided.

School counselors may often find themselves desiring additional funding to enhance their comprehensive school counseling program. This session explores the opportunities that grant writing could provide for school counselors, outlining the steps in the process of writing, obtaining, and executing grants. The focus will be on finding grant opportunities and writing successful grant proposals that will help school counselors fund specific projects or programs in their school.

As a result of this program, participants will:

1. Learn the steps of the grant process,
2. Be aware of available resources to find grant opportunities,
3. Learn how to evaluate grant opportunities, and
4. Understand what makes a strong grant proposal.

We intend for this session to be interactive, and will give the participants opportunities to discuss their own ideas in small groups and with the entire group. This session will have a seminar-style format in which we will provide information pertaining to grant writing that participants will be able to discuss and apply to the unique needs of their school counseling program.

We will provide a few handouts to participants that will include:

1. An overview of the steps of the grant writing process,
2. A list of online resources that house grant opportunities, and
3. A list of resources for further learning related to grant writing.

Toni Dickerson
Melissa Lynch
Dawn Mann

Middle
Secondary

Survey Says. . . Game Show Lessons Engage Students is a workshop that teaches professional school counselors how to incorporate creative lessons to generate student engagement.   Adapted game shows incorporated with counseling curriculum support an array of different learning styles plus information preview and reinforcement. Who says learning isn’t fun anymore…the workshop brings the fun back.  Kind of like bringing sexy back!  

 

One Hour Format: 

Learning objectives:  

• Presenters will equip participants with innovative tools to differentiate real life learning for all students.     
• Participants will learn how to use creative programming to engage and teach all learners in a relevant manner that fits their visual, kinesthetic, and auditory needs.   
• According to Tim Elmore, “They [students] love narratives. They love interaction. They love pictures. They want us to make the complex simple (Growing Leaders, 2017).  Survey Says. . . Game Show Lessons Engage Students will walk participants through the steps to create game shows featuring school counseling curriculum.  To include: 
• Determine audience size. 
• Determine curriculum. 
• Determine time limit. 
• Determine which game show is appropriate for the lesson type. 
• Determine if students are familiar with game show format. 
• Determine materials needed. 

After presenters walk the participants though the steps to create a game show, presenters will show examples of adapted game shows previously used.  To include: 

• Big Brother 
• Family Feud 
• Jeopardy  
• Password 

 Presenters will leave time for questions and answers.   

 Resources: Participants will receive the link to all game show templates, list of materials, and video files. 

 Two Hour Format 

One hour format plus time spent modeling actual game show activities with audience participation.   

 

 

John Nwosu

Elementary
Middle
Secondary
Independent
Counselor Educator, Supervisor
Post-secondary/Admissions

How are Waldo and equity related? “Where is Waldo?” presupposes that Waldo exists. We tend to assume the opposite when it comes to bias and discrimination. We want to believe that “those things" don’t happen "here" even in the face of disparate outcomes. In this experiential session participants will explore topics designed to reduce discrimination: udpates in multicultural and social justice counseling competencies, implicit and explicit bias research, structural marginalization, and tools for increasing equity.

How are Waldo and equity related? “Where is Waldo?” presupposes that Waldo exists. We tend to assume the opposite when it comes to bias and discrimination. Kids of all ages invest considerable time and patience searching for Waldo, but in the age of colorblindness we fail to search for bias and discrimination with a similar level of commitment often because we don’t believe they exist in our space. Both public and private institutions in our society continue to reproduce disparate outcomes with respect to race, gender, and other marginalized group statuses. We now know more about bias than ever before. The data, contributed from many fields of study, suggest that biases are pervasive - we all have them - and have a significant impact on our interactions and outcomes. 

In this interactive session participants will explore topics designed to identify and reduce discrimination. We’ll first discuss the difference between equity and equality and take a brief look at the most recent multicultural and social justice counseling competencies. We’ll then use experiential learning activities to explore theories of implicit and explicit bias and also take a look at findings from recent reserach. Participants will then learn about structural marginalization. Next they will engage in group activities designed to help them learn about tools and strategies for identifying and reducing structural bias in their own setting. Participants will be provided with resources for further steps on how to increase equity in their system.

After this session participants should be able to:

• Explain major shfits in the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (2015)
• Explain what implicit and explicit bias are and how they are different
• Discuss different levels and types of marginalization
• Discuss strategies and tools for reducing structural bias in counseling systems

For more information:

• http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/research/understanding-implicit-bias/
• http://haasinstitute.berkeley.edu/
• http://www.centerforsocialinclusion.org/
• http://www.racialequityalliance.org/

Dr. Kelly Walter, Mariela Medina, Aprell Hamilton-Taylor

Secondary
Counselor Educator, Supervisor

 “To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness.” 
― John Dewey

This session will help counselors define their roles in the school-to-work pipeline and how best to prepare Georgia’s future workforce. We will examine ways to provide a full array of options to help students make the best career decisions for the benefit of the individual and community. 

This presentation will examine school counselors’ role in developing the career interests of students as related to career academies. One might say the goal and aim of education is to produce an educated workforce which benefits both the individual and the community as a whole. This goal is complicated when one considers the clientele is young and still trying to discover themselves in a world that is changing very rapidly. Helping students make informed choices must start with career information delivered in a systematic way that benefits all students and makes available viable options at all levels. We will use our Architecture and Construction Academy to illustrate a clear pathway to the workforce and how school/community collaboration makes this possible. 

In high need schools, graduation rates take center stage leaving little time to spend with students on post-secondary planning and with the high counselor-to-student ratios, playing a role in the academic, social, emotional, and career development of individual students makes having a positive impact difficult at best, impossible for most. Knowing a little about everything, but not enough about what matters most makes collaboration a must. The effort to move students forward must include not only the school counselor, but also the faculty, administration and community stakeholders. 

The development of career academies helps narrow the focus to a specific career cluster so that school counselors can become experts on a few, rather than many, and thus become instrumental in helping students find the right career path for their interest and skills. Another benefit of career academies is the emphasis on partnerships. In this model, the school and community are working together in a concentrated effort to provide students with practical experiences that will shape their interests and chart a positive trajectory. In this regard, the school counselor is not alone in guiding students into a career path that best fits their individual needs, be they academic or economic.

Learning Objectives:
Counselors will be able to:
1. Identify at least three “hot jobs” sectors and be able to name one career in each
2. Discuss the current labor trends in Georgia as they relate to their schools career preparation programs
3. Evaluate their schools career pathways in relation to the population their schools serve
4. Prepare a career pathway for students at each education level: HS diploma, certificate, diploma, associate degree and bachelor degree

Audience participation:
1. Anonymous submission of their schools career programs and their assessment of effectiveness (obj. #3) 
2. Creation and sharing of career pathway for each level (obj. #4)

Handouts

1. List of current “Hot Jobs” for Georgia
2. Online resources for professional development pertaining to career development
3. Tips for working with advisory boards

 

Morgan E. Kiper Riechel

Elementary
Middle
Secondary
Independent
Counselor Educator, Supervisor

ASCA’s Ethical Standards includes a 9-step process for ethical decision-making, the first of which is to “define the problem emotionally and intellectually.” Many ignore this important dual step, focusing primarily on the intellectual examination of issues at expense of the counselor’s emotional response, which can be a barometer in decision-making. This session will discuss research in decision-making and provide additional resources for school counselors to consider both the “emotional” AND “intellectual” aspect to ethical decision-making.

• Become re-acquainted with Stone’s (2010) Ethical Decision-making model that is included in the ASCA National Model, with an emphasis on the first step, “define the problem emotionally and intellectually.”
• Understand that a school counselor’s ability to make ethical decisions begins with a sensitivity, both intellectual and emotional, to ethical issues. Subsequent steps in the ethical decision-making model cannot occur without this first step.
• Become familiar with the literature in embodied decision-making which uses the ethic of care and compassion to understand how our physical, bodily reactions and emotions to the environment can help us understand ethical dilemmas in context better than using our intellect alone. Neither process (intellect or emotion) is sufficient on its own
• Receive resources and tools to enhance sensitivity to ethical issues using both our intellectual and emotional capacities as professional school counselors.