2018 Annual Conference

Pre-Conference Workshops 2018

Preconference Workshops February 20, 2018

Full-Day WorkshopsHalf-Day Morning Workshops | Half-Day Afternoon Workshops

Lunch is provided for anyone signed up for the FULL day (either a full-day session or two half-day sessions)


Full-Day Preconference Workshops

Colette T. Dollarhide

School Counselors as Leaders and Agents of Change for Social Justice (K-12,) “Post secondary”

February 20, 2018  9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Free for administrators in the PM

Colette T. Dollarhide, Ed.D., NCC, ACS, LPC Associate Professor, Counselor Education, The Ohio State University

School counselors are called to provide program leadership by ASCA, and called to provide social justice leadership for the school and community by current events. Many school counselors want to respond, but lack the understanding, skills, or confidence to act. In this pre-conference, school counselors are urged to invite their administrator to attend with them, so that the afternoon session of co-constructing a leadership plan will be truly collaborative.

In the morning session, participants will learn about the foundations of leadership, including power and how it manifests in a school. We will then discuss definitions and models of leadership, including transformational leadership, distributed leadership, participatory leadership, and transformative leadership applied to school counseling.   We will also focus on servant leadership as an emerging form of leadership that is especially germane for social justice leadership. Practical applications and considerations will then be explored, including a presentation of a program in a Wisconsin school that provides a working example of how social justice for a building and community can be fostered by the school counselor.

The afternoon session will be guided planning for a social justice project in the school, and if every participant brings her/his administrator, the planning work will have real applications for the building. In the afternoon session, school counselors and their administrators will co-design a leadership plan for social justice in their school.  Participants will be placed in teams and will work together through the steps to create a viable plan for a social justice project in the school that will connect the school, families, and the community.  In this way, participants will leave the session with a thorough understanding of the theoretical and practical considerations for leadership in general and social justice leadership in particular, and they will have a concrete plan that will enable them to apply these insights to better the lives of their students and school community.


Karin Beal

We’ve Tried Everything…Reaching the Unreachable Child  (K-5)

February 20, 2018  9:30 am – 4:30 pm

Karin Beal M.Ed, MSW, APSW
Rogers Behavioral Health Coordinator of Behavior Management Services

Many of the children whom we serve are struggling not only with diagnosable mental health disorders but also with family system issues and trauma.  As a result, they come to school distracted, dysregulated, and impulsive.  This preconference session will help you understand the basic needs of their behaviors, the impact of trauma on the child’s experience, and how family system issues can wreak havoc on a child’s ability to listen and learn at school.

My goal is to assist with creating a nonjudgmental and empathetic environment to assist in creating interventions which will help teach children how to communicate their thoughts and feeling using Cognitive Behavior (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) strategies.   You can expect to have some time engaging in basic play therapy activities that you can use in your office to enhance learning.  These strategies are used to help rebuild trust at school so the child can attend in the classroom, reduce emotional reactivity, and communicate more effectively thus reducing impulsivity.  Bring your challenges and we can discuss available and applicable options.

Specifics DBT strategies to be discussed include Mindfulness, describing emotions, DEAR MAN, Opposite Action, and Wise Mind; specific CBT interventions include understanding the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, cognitive restructuring, ERP, and thought challenging. The challenges we face while working with these “unreachable” children play a role in the effectiveness of our interventions and will be discussed throughout the session.


Half Day Morning Preconference Workshops

Dr. Michele Borba

Empathy is a Verb: Lessons for Success in the Digital Age (6-12)

February 20, 2018  9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Dr. Michele Borba
Internationally Renowned Educator, Best-selling Author, Parenting, Child Development and Bullying Expert

Empathy activates conscience, curbs bullying, reduces prejudice and promotes moral courage, the foundation to trust, the benchmark of humanity and core to everything that makes a society civilized. But empathy is also diminishing in our students: a 40 percent drop in the last 30 years. For students to be truly “successful,” they also need to be able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and think “WE” not “ME.” Practical sessions offers ways to teach students vital nine habits that will increase empathy and reduce bullying while improving their academic performance, mental health, resilience, and character. You’ll learn cutting-edge science that proves those gains, and you’ll leave with dozens of simple, practical strategies can be easily applied to any counseling group from primary to secondary and make a difference on our students’ lives.


Beyond Breathing and Yoga: A Practical Guide to Mindfulness in Elementary Schools (K-5)

February 20, 2018  9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Helena Stevens

Amy Kraemer

Emily Rose

Helena Stevens, Ph.D., LSC, LPC, NCC, Assistant Professor Minnesota State University Mankato

Emily Rose, Licensed School Counselor, Greenwood Elementary School

Amy Kraemer, Licensed School Counselor, Westside Elementary School

This pre-conference learning session will provide a foundation of knowledge and practical tools to implement a mindfulness program in your elementary school. Mindfulness has the capacity to positively influence a school’s climate and student’s behavior. From preparation to implementation, you will leave with a foundation to begin your journey to a mindful classroom and school. This session will include hands-on learning activities to reinforce the theoretical and technical aspects presented. Participants will learn the core tenets of mindfulness. Participants will learn about the preparation and planning process to implement a school-wide mindfulness program.

Participants will learn about several resources to aid in implementing a mindfulness program in their school. Participants will also have time to brainstorm and develop ideas/plans for integrating mindfulness into their school counseling programs and work.


Social and Emotional Learning: The Why, the What, the How “PK-Postsecondary”

February 20, 2018  9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Beth Herman

Beth Herman, MSE, School Psychologist
DPI Education Consultant

Amidst growing recognition that social and emotional learning skills are essential to student and adult success, schools and communities are seeking the most effective ways to teach, reinforce and cue these skills in learners. In 2017 the Wisconsin Department of Instruction will introduce state-wide social and emotional learning competencies for PK-adults.
This session will introduce the state-level competencies and implementation support materials that are available to all schools and districts with a focus on the role of school counselors in a comprehensive SEL initiative. Session participants will have the opportunity to work with the tools and resources provided through the WI DPI.
Participants of this session will:

  • Be able to identify why social and emotional learning is essential for college and career readiness.
  • Be able to identify the different frames to communicate their social and emotional learning vision.
  • Be introduced to and become familiar with the 4 approaches to promote SEL.
  • Learn about the Wisconsin Pre/K-Adult Social and Emotional Learning Competencies and the implementation materials available to support them.
  • Engage in discussions and activities exploring adult social and emotional competence
  • Learn a framework to address assessment of social and emotional learning skills.
  • Develop a plan to bring this information back to their schools

Restorative Practices: Building Relationships One Circle at a Time  (K-12)

February 20, 2018  9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Keith Decker

Diane Gilroy

Katharine Reid

Katharine Reid, School Counseling System Specialist, Franklin School District

Diane Gilroy, School Counselor, Franklin High School

Keith Decker, School Counselor, Franklin High School

How do we hold students accountable for their actions while building relationships of unconditional positive regard? Are your teachers coming to you asking for support with students exhibiting challenging behaviors? During this session on Restorative Practices learn not only how to get comfortable with teaching students to accept responsibility but also learn how to empower your teachers and administrators to create respect and belonging in the classroom and help students find meaningful solutions for the problems they create.

Attendees will increase their knowledge and understanding of how to:

  • Use Restorative Circles to build a positive culture and climate in your school
  • Facilitate students taking ownership and responsibility and being directly involved in solving conflicts
  • Use a new approach to helping students and teachers problem solve
  • Use range of tools for universal instruction and targeted interventions
  • Help students build empathy and communication skills
  • Build a culture and climate of understanding and respect
  • Implement Restorative Practices as a part of a comprehensive school counseling program to reduce office referrals and truancies, build relationships and resolve conflicts

Playing Well With Others; Using Your Student Skills to Develop Allies in Your Work Toward Systemic Change (K-12)

February 20, 2018  9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Liza Simon-Roper

Chris Foreman

Chris Foreman MSSW, National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Liaison

Liza Simon-Roper, National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Certified ARC Trainer, NCTSN Affiliate

You do great work with kids. You develop relationships with them, help them feel safe, teach them skills and send them back to class –  only to sometimes see your good work undermined by a colleague, parent or administrator who thinks you are enabling that child’s “bad behavior”. Sound familiar? If so, you’ve probably discovered that becoming trauma-informed requires a level of consistency that is hard to achieve if your colleagues & teammates don’t buy into the idea that kids need social-emotional differentiation as much as they do academically. This workshop, therefore, is designed to build on what you already do brilliantly with kids, anchor it in an evidence-based model & theoretical orientation, and then work through how to apply those skills in the pursuit of developing allies. As the African Proverb goes: if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. It’s time to develop our travel buddies so we can all get to work in a trauma responsive school system.


ACP Leaders & Key Stakeholders Institute:  Fostering Career Development Heroes! (6-12)

February 20, 2018  9:30 am – 12:30 pm
FREE (Space is limited)

Tahira Chaudary

Gregg Curtis

Gregg Curtis, PhD, School Counseling Consultant

Tahira Chaudary, MIPA, ACP and Dual Enrollment Consultant

With a preferred audience of ACP coordinators and key district stakeholders, this pre-conference sectional will provide updates on PI 26 planning and compliance requirements, ACP Staff Lessons for ACP Teams & School Staff, WISELearn access and searches for student activities using the WSCA Companion Guide, and Student, Parent, and Community ACP involvement.


Half Day Preconference Workshops – Afternoon

Empathy is a Verb: Lessons for Success in the Digital Age (K-5)

February 20, 2018  1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Dr. Michele Borba

Dr. Michele Borba
Internationally Renowned Educator, Best-selling Author, Parenting, Child Development and Bullying Expert

Empathy activates conscience, curbs bullying, reduces prejudice and promotes moral courage, the foundation to trust, the benchmark of humanity and core to everything that makes a society civilized. But empathy is also diminishing in our students: a 40 percent drop in the last 30 years. For students to be truly “successful,” they also need to be able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and think “WE” not “ME.” Practical sessions offer ways to teach students vital nine habits that will increase empathy and reduce bullying while improving their academic performance, mental health, resilience, and character. You’ll learn cutting-edge science that proves those gains, and you’ll leave with dozens of simple, practical strategies can be easily applied to any counseling group from primary to secondary and make a difference in our students’ lives.


Introduction to Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Applying DBT Skills and Philosophy in the School Setting (6-12)

February 20, 2018  1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Carissa Buchanan

Carissa Buchanan, M.S., Rogers Memorial Hospital Clinical Services Manager

Carolyn Piggot, MA, LPC-IT, Rogers Memorial Hospital

The presentation will provide an overview of the philosophy of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a treatment approach designed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. and colleagues, to help individuals struggling with intense emotions to manage their behavior and relationships more effectively.

There will be a focus on how DBT is applicable to the adolescent population, as well as adaptations for teaching DBT in the school setting. The dialectic concept of balancing change and acceptance will be presented, as well as the biosocial model of behavior and emotions. Understanding these aspects of DBT theory will help increase understanding of where intense emotions can come from in students, and how the environment in the classroom can help mitigate the impact of these emotions on negative behavior patterns.

DBT skills will be introduced from the four key modules of DBT, including: core mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness. Attendees will have an opportunity to engage in a mindfulness activity, as well as practice   DBT skills within small groups. Ideas will be provided on how to teach some of these emotional and behavioral strategies to students in the classroom or within the school counselor office setting.


Supporting Wellness in Our Gifted Students (K-12)

Heather Boorman

February 20, 2018  1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Heather Boorman MSW, LCSW, Boorman Counseling & The Fringy Bit

Giftedness stretches far beyond performance. These children and youth tend to have specific and intense psychosocial needs and traits that make them vulnerable to misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis, behavioral or mental health issues, relational conflicts, and academic underperformance.   In this workshop, we will briefly discuss factors contributing to the un-wellness of many of our gifted students, and then spend the majority of our time considering interventions to help them move toward greater wellness.   Specific attention will be given to modulating intensities, understanding and managing anxiety, and understanding and responding to existential depression.  Interventions useful in the classroom, a counselor’s office, and at home will be discussed and practiced.

This workshop will be tailored to the audience’s interests and needs. Therefore, the order and amount of time spent on specific topics will be organic, but a general outline includes:

  • Discussion about the psychosocial traits of giftedness and reconceptualization of gifted individuals as neuro-diverse as opposed to high performers
  • Information about the physiology of anxiety and factors which make gifted students susceptible to anxiety
  • Interactive participation in effective interventions to mediate anxiety
  • Information about depression and factors which make gifted students susceptible to depression
  • Interactive participation in effective interventions to improve mood

Interventions will include mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, and self-compassion based methods.  Time for Q&A will be interspersed throughout the workshop.


School Mental Health Embedded Within a PBIS Framework: Key Practices for Effective Implementation (K-12)

February 20, 2018  1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Stephanie Skolasinski

Elizabeth Cook

Elizabeth Cook Ed.S., DPI School Psychology Consultant

Stephanie Skolasinski, PBIS Regional Technical Assistance Coordinator

School systems, by design or by default, are primary supports of students’ mental health and wellness. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) provides a structure to implement a three-tiered model of mental health support. This session will focus on how schools can effectively and efficiently integrate mental health and wellness policies, practices, and procedures into existing PBIS structures at all tiers. Participants will walk away with key practices for implementing School Mental Health into their existing system.

Participants will:

  • Describe the key components of the WI School Mental Health Framework.
  • Identify 3-5 key practices for effectively implementing a school mental health system of care within a multi-level system of support.
  • Use the foundational principles to identify at least one Universal practice to build the organization’s capacity for a comprehensive, seamless system of care and support.

ACP Leaders & Key Stakeholders: Impacting Students’ Career Development: Where Career Theories meet Labor Market Information and Postsecondary Resources (6-12)

February 20, 2018  1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Julie Hau

Kristin Long

Kristin Long, Regional Career Pathways Director

Julie Hau, Ph.D., Center on Education and Work Content Manager

The Wisconsin Career Development Association (WCDA) presents the latest in College and Career Readiness to help you build and enhance your ACP program to support the skills, knowledge, and dispositions that all students need to be college, career, and community ready.  This workshop begins with a brief overview of Career Theories 101, which includes theories most pertinent to middle and high school students. In Part 2, presented by the Department of Workforce Development, theories will be connected with practice by incorporating labor market information (LMI) and resources. The third portion of the workshop includes roundtables for K-12 educators to connect with postsecondary education and career development experts. Representatives include 2-year technical colleges, 4-year private universities, 4-year public universities, Apprenticeships, Military, Center on Education and Work at UW- Madison, and the Department of Workforce Development. Walk away with strategies to help you become a change agent in your school to enhance the college and career readiness of your students.


Afternoon On The Hill (K-12 & Post Secondary)

February 20, 2018  1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
FREE

Rachel Pufall

Andrea Donegan

Andrea Donegan, School Counselor, WSCA Government Relations Coordinator

Rachel Pufall, School Counselor, WSCA Government Relations Coordinator

 WSCA’s Afternoon on the Hill continues to be a cornerstone of the annual conference. Come learn how to effectively advocate for the profession you love and put it to practice under the dome! And, if you would like another counselor to join you on your legislative visits, we have a group lined up to do just that! Following our interactive training session, we will walk to the Capitol where you will meet with your member of the WI Senate and Assembly. Back by popular demand, as a capstone to the experience, you will be invited to toast your good fortune as a school counselor advocate by enjoying a complimentary beverage at a nearby establishment. Afternoon on the Hill is inspiring, important, and fun! Your participation makes a BIG difference and will keep our collective positive momentum growing! Cheers!!