Professional Learning: Mental Health

Formal professional learning opportunities offered by the Diagnostic Center, Northern California (DCN). This is part of the 2024-25 Professional Development Catalog.

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Topic Areas: Assessment | Behavior | Dual Language Learners | Intervention & Instruction | Mental Health

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The Impact of Trauma at School: Understanding, Assessment, and Intervention

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • School psychologists
  • General education and special education teachers, especially those who serve students with emotional/behavioral problems
  • School-based mental health professionals

Sessions

  • MH008: In-Person (2 hours)
  • MH021: Virtual (1.5 hours)

According to data published in 2020 by the National Survey of Children's Health, an estimated 33 percent of children in every state have experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). Individuals working in schools are becoming increasingly aware that many students are struggling with the psychological aftermath of exposure to trauma. By default, schools have become the frontline defense. They are tasked with recognizing students who have trauma-related symptoms and supporting them in overcoming their distress in order to promote academic learning and healthy social and emotional development. This training provides information about the impact of trauma on students' capacities to benefit from their educational programs, the signs and symptoms to look for when screening students for trauma-related problems, and assessment tips to help determine the extent to which a particular student's difficulties are likely related to traumatic experiences. A brief overview of evidence-based strategies to address trauma through school-based mental health services is also included along with resources to assist in service planning.

Participants Will

  • Learn to screen for possible trauma-related problems and recognize some major signs and symptoms consistent with trauma which may be observed in students
  • Learn about evidence-based practices for addressing trauma through school-based mental health interventions
  • Gain an increased awareness of emotional functioning in order to help guide teams towards appropriate goals and interventions

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Treating Trauma

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • School psychologists
  • Mental health professionals

Sessions

  • MH010: In-Person (2 hours)
  • MH024: Virtual (1.5 hours)

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates that more than two thirds of school aged children have experienced at least one traumatic event by age 16. This staggering statistic suggests that a significant number of students are likely struggling with mental health issues related to trauma. This training will teach therapeutic, evidence-based practice interventions for working with students who have experienced trauma. The trainer will break down the steps involved in a cognitive behavioral approach and will share resources and strategies for working with students in an academic setting.

Participants Will

  • Learn how to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) interventions to support students who have experienced trauma
  • Learn how to utilize evidence-based treatment methods in the school setting
  • Learn how to adapt appropriate treatment interventions according to the type of trauma the student has experienced

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Silent Suffering: What to Know and What to Do for Students with Internalizing Disorders

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • School psychologists
  • Mental health professionals
  • Teachers (counseling enriched classrooms)

Sessions

  • MH011: In-Person (2 hours)
  • MH025: Virtual (1.5 hours)

It can be difficult to identify students who are struggling with an internalizing disorder. Internalizing disorders are so named because individuals rarely demonstrate overt behaviors that let others know they are in pain. The most common internalizing disorders are anxiety and depression; however, self-harm behavior and suicide are also important to consider. This training will highlight symptoms consistent with anxiety and depression, and provide information on how to assess for and treat such disorders. Strategies and recommendations for treatment will include evidence-based and best practice interventions.

Participants Will

  • Identify symptoms consistent with various internalizing disorders
  • Learn best practices for assessing students who may present with an internalizing disorder
  • Learn evidence-based interventions for working with students who have internalizing disorders

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Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • School psychologists
  • Mental health professionals
  • Administrators
  • Teachers
  • Paraprofessionals

Sessions

  • MH012: In-Person (2 hours)
  • MH026: Virtual (1.5 hours)

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which children learn to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions (CASEL, 2020). Given the current academic climate, the adoption and implementation of SEL has never been more important. This training will review domains critical to SEL, the guidelines introduced by the State of California Department of Education (CDE), and strategies targeted at supporting the development of SEL in the classroom.

Participants Will

  • Learn the basic domains related to SEL
  • Learn strategies and interventions that support and prompt SEL
  • Learn how to implement the strategies in the classroom and in counseling sessions

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When They Don't Show Up: Dealing with School Avoidance

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • School psychologists
  • Mental health professionals
  • Administrators
  • Teachers

Sessions

  • MH013: In-Person (2 hours)
  • MH027: Virtual (1.5 hours)

There has been a steady increase in the number of students who are refusing to attend school. Chronic absenteeism and frequent tardies are significant problems that not only plague schools, but families as well. This training will help provide information on how to identify the reason(s) behind the student's school refusal (whether in person or while engaged in remote learning), and outline evidence-based practice interventions to help students return to class. Case examples will be offered to illustrate the various methods and intervention strategies. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their own case examples.

Participants Will

  • Learn how to identify reason(s) behind a student's school avoidance
  • Learn evidence-based strategies to help students return to class
  • Learn how to assemble an appropriate team to implement and monitor the transition plan

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Autism and Mental Health

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • School psychologists
  • Mental health professionals
  • Administrators
  • Teachers
  • Paraprofessionals

Sessions

  • MH016: In-Person (2 hours)
  • MH028: Virtual (1.5 hours)

In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that approximately 1 in 44 children in the Unites States is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Given the high prevalence of ASD, it is important for individuals in education to understand more about the disorder, as well as the mental health conditions that often present comorbidly. This training will provide education related to mental health disorders that frequently affect individuals diagnosed with ASD, as well as corresponding treatment interventions.

Participants Will

  • Learn about ASD and the mental health disorders that often present comorbidly
  • Learn strategies to assess for mental health disorders and ASD
  • Learn treatment interventions to utilize when working with students who have both ASD and a mental health disorder

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Perfectionism: Purfictly Imperfect!

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • School psychologists
  • Mental health professionals
  • Administrators
  • Teachers
  • Paraprofessionals

Sessions

  • MH033: In-Person (2 hours)
  • MH032: Virtual (1.5 hours)

Students grappling with perfectionistic tendencies are being observed at increasing rates in the classroom setting. They can become paralyzed by their inability to tolerate anything that isn't "just right." These students can hold such high expectations for themselves that they develop rigid, highly inflexible thoughts and standards. These expectations create a myriad of challenges including procrastination, work avoidance, self-criticism, emotional outbursts, and a strong desire for control. Perfectionism can present and overlap with anxiety, depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), eating disorders, and cognitive rigidity. This presentation will focus on complex, neurodiverse profiles and how to assess for and design appropriate intervention strategies for students who demonstrate perfectionistic tendencies, inflexible thinking, and emotional distress.

Participants Will

  • Learn how to identify perfectionism
  • Learn how to assess students with complex, neurodiverse profiles
  • Learn intervention strategies for working with inflexible thinking patterns

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Creating a Safe and Supportive Learning Environment: Implementing Environmental Social and Emotional Strategies

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • Special education teachers serving students with emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs
  • General education teachers serving students with emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs

Sessions

  • MH009: In-Person (5 hours)

Supporting the mental health needs of students in the classroom has become an increasingly important component of providing comprehensive education. This training will describe specific environmental supports that increase students' ability to access learning in the classroom by designing a safe and supportive environment. Additionally, specific mental health conditions and how they present in the classroom through an educator's lens will be reviewed. Participants will discuss how to recognize academic and behavioral symptoms and how to implement preventative and proactive supports prior to student distress.

Participants Will

  • Receive clarity about what is included in Tier 1/Universal social-emotional supports, from a teacher perspective
  • Explore how to integrate environmental mental health/social-emotional supports and practices into classroom instruction
  • Work with colleagues to select specific strategies that they can implement in their classrooms
  • Learn how mental health issues present in the learning environment
  • Explore how to match educational and behavioral supports and accommodations to student needs when considering mental health concerns

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Supporting Social and Emotional Needs in the Classroom Through Enhancing the Environment with Tier 1 Strategies for All Students

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • Special education teachers serving students with emotional, behavioral, and mental health need
  • General education teachers serving students with emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs

Sessions

  • MH022: Virtual (2 hours)

Supporting the mental health needs of students in the classroom has become an increasingly important component of providing comprehensive education. This training will describe specific environmental supports that increase students' ability to access learning in the classroom by designing a safe and supportive environment. The emphasis of strategies will be placed on creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive classroom environment through a classroom environmental analysis of Tier 1 social/emotional and mental health-oriented interventions. Examples and videos will be used to demonstrate the strategies within the classroom setting.

Participants Will

  • Receive clarity about what is included in Tier 1/Universal social-emotional supports, from a teacher perspective
  • Explore how to integrate environmental mental health/social-emotional supports and practices into classroom instruction
  • Work with colleagues to select specific strategies that they can implement in their classrooms

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Educationally Related Mental Health Services (ERMHS) Assessment: Examining Your Social-Emotional Data

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • School psychologists
  • School counselors
  • Teachers (counseling enriched classrooms)

Sessions

  • MH007: In-Person (2 hours)
  • MH020: Virtual (1.5 hours)

Educationally Related Mental Health Services (ERMHS) are provided when a student has significant social-emotional and behavioral needs that impede his/her/their ability to benefit from the academic curriculum. In order to gain a better understanding of a student's level of mental health functioning, and the degree to which it is impairing learning, we need to conduct an assessment that examines social, emotional, and behavioral capacities. This training will review common means of assessing and exploring a student's mental health using projective storytelling cards, drawings, checklists, and other assessment measures. An in-depth analysis of how to use emotional themes and drawing interpretations to guide decisions and recommendations will be provided. By the end of the presentation, participants will feel more comfortable completing ERMHS assessments and have new tools to gather data and explain results.

Participants Will

  • Learn how to comprehensively analyze data gathered from social-emotional testing measures
  • Understand which social-emotional tests to administer based on presenting questions or concerns
  • Learn additional interpretation techniques to support the assessment process
  • Review cases and testing data to apply learned skills in the moment
  • Gain an increased awareness of emotional functioning in order to help guide teams towards appropriate goals and interventions

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Supporting Struggling Students Throughout the Day: Demystifying Tier 2 Social and Emotional Support in the Classroom

Presenter(s)

Intended Audience

  • Special education teachers serving students with emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs
  • General education teachers serving students with emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs

Sessions

  • MH023: Virtual (2 hours)

The focus of this training will be on discussing and identifying specific mental health conditions and how they present in the classroom through an educator's lens. Participants will discuss how to recognize academic and behavioral symptoms and how to implement preventative and proactive supports prior to student distress. There will be greater emphasis on case studies and identifying strategies for struggling learners from the mental health/social-emotional perspective.

Participants Will

  • Learn how mental health issues present in the learning environment
  • Explore how to match educational and behavioral supports and accommodations to student needs when they are exhibiting behaviors consistent with mental health difficulties

Visit our Special Training Opportunities web page for additional training opportunities!

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