Welcome – Rebecca Davis, Director, South Carolina Office of Special Education Services

Welcome from Deborah Blalock, Deputy Director, Community Mental Health Services, South Carolina Department of Mental Health

Key Note Address

Tim Lewis

(University of Missouri)

Back to Basics to Build the Future: Lessons Learned From 25 years of PBIS Implementation

BASC Approved

Focusing on current and past PBIS/MTSS research as well as local, national, and international implementation examples, critical considerations for sustainability and the ability to adapt to changing educational contexts and challenges will be shared.

Breakout 1A: Live Stream

Integrating Academic, Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Supports to Address Student Need

Military Family Track

Steve Goodman (Michigan’s Multi-Tiered System of Support Technical Assistance Center, Michigan Department of Education)

A greater opportunity for meaningful outcomes occurs when social- emotional-behavioral and school-based mental health supports are integrated with academics through a multi-tiered framework. This session will discuss both why and how to integrate MTSS.

Breakout 1B

Go Slow to Go Fast: The Journey to Build a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Social, Emotional and Behavioral Framework for Students and Staff

BASC Approved

Susan Thomas (TDT Educational Consulting, South Carolina) & Briana Whitaker (Clarendon School District Two, South Carolina)

Building a strong MTSS framework takes time and coordination. Come, learn, and share the strategies for coordinating and building a strong capacity and infrastructure to support evidence-based social-emotional-behavioral practices at a school and district level. Participants will receive electronic resources to support implementation.

Breakout 1C

Integrating Wellness (and other initiatives) into a Multi-Tiered Framework

BASC Approved

Erin Scherder (Behavioral Alliance of South Carolina, University of South Carolina, Department of Psychology) & Sarah Piwinski (Medical University of South Carolina)

This session will review multi-tiered frameworks and evidence-based strategies to integrate initiatives and practices. Presenters will provide an overview of the national multi-tiered frameworks & the need for common understanding of language & stakeholder buy-in to begin integration. Wellness is used as a key example for lessons learned/strategies for integrating initiatives into a MTSS. Boeing Center for Children’ Wellness offers an overview of their systemic approach for sustainability.

Breakout 1D

School Psychology 101: Are You Getting the Most Out of Yours? An Introduction to the NASP Practice Model

Lynn Collins (South Carolina Association of School Psychologists)

School Psychologists are often used almost exclusively for special education evaluations. Did you realize that this is only a minute part of what they are trained to do? Almost everything you need to know can be found in the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Practice model. The challenge is to reframe how schools view your skills and services within an MTSS framework. Let’s start a conversation about how schools can develop within-building networks including all specialized support personnel.

Breakout 1E: Live Stream

Social-Emotional-Behavioral: A Necessary Part of Daily Teaching & Learning

Kimberly Yanek (Center for Social Behavior Support, Virginia)

During this session, we will unpack the research to identify effective and practical ways to teach social-emotional-behavioral (SEB) skills daily. We will explore systems of support for staff to implement identified practices. We will consider ways to monitor our efforts and impact to ensure that our system is working for all. We will consider the impact on students and staff as we think critically about the most effective and efficient way to design daily teaching and learning for SEB skills.

Breakout 1F

The Role of a Student Advocacy Specialist: Addressing The Behavioral Health Crisis Within Our Schools

Courtney Knight (Forsyth County Schools, Georgia) & Jessica Stowe (Forsyth County Schools, Georgia, GA)

We will present a review of the Student Advocacy Specialist (SAS) Program within Forsyth County Schools, GA and an examination of its benefits toward effective school behavioral health programming.

Breakout 1G

Best Practices in Implementing a Full Continuum Social Emotional and Behavioral Health Supports in a Multi-Tiered System of Support

Heidi Austin (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction), Stephanie Ellis (Rockingham County Schools, Virginia), Laura Muse (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services), Jeannie Kerr (Nash County Schools, North Carolina) & Emily Bland (Beaufort County Schools, South Carolina)

Participants will learn implementation strategies for developing a full continuum of mental health services within their school and/or district. Participants will also learn how to create a behavioral health implementation plan that creates a system change within their school and/or district. In addition, participants will engage in building a system of support for mental health, family/parent engagement, social-emotional-behavioral programming, and interventions to support students in a mental health crisis.

Breakout 1H

Using Variables From IEPS to Predict Graduation for Students with Emotional Disabilities

Bradley S Mills (Fayetteville State University, Florida)

Students with Emotional Disabilities (ED) graduate from high school at rates far below their peers. The present study utilized archival data of former high school students with ED to examine graduation-related predictor variables. For students with ED, student attendance at special education meetings throughout high school were statistically significant in predicting graduation as well as time spent in 9th grade and extracurricular participation. Educational implications related to adolescents with ED are discussed.

Breakout 1I

Leveraging North Carolina Multi-Tiered System of Support to Support Military-Connected Families

Military Family Track

Beth Boggs (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction), Courtney Moates (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction), Osmond Lister (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction), Tonya Caulder (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction)

This session will share how our state team got started in the work of supporting Military-Connected Families within the North Carolina Multi-Tiered System of Support (NC MTSS) framework including initial steps and high-impact strategies. NC MTSS is a school improvement framework which encompasses academic, and social-emotional-behavioral instruction and support. Participants will reflect on current implementation, align possible resources, and consider next steps.

Lunch

Keynote Address

Cathy Hurst

(Vice President of the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation)

Opening the Door to Resiliency Focusing on our Youth and Military

BASC Approved

Military Family Track

This presentation will share Hayden Hurst’s experience with his own journey to finding mental wellness. Cathy Hurst will be sharing personal anecdotes of how the Hurst family overcame and is still overcoming the obstacles that come with mental health challenges. You will also learn about the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation’s work, and their passion for instilling hope and resiliency in our youth and military through different programs and services.

Breakout 2A: Live Stream

Beyond Self-Care: School Mental Health for Faculty and Staff

Chris Haines (South Carolina Department of Mental Health/Greater Greenville Mental Health Center, South Carolina)

Addressing the mental health needs of adults who work in schools is necessary for delivering both high quality education and for establishing a healthy school climate. This session will help school leaders to identify the stressors affecting faculty and staff and to develop strategies that support the mental health needs of faculty and staff. Participants will learn about brain states and strategies that school leaders could implement immediately to foster a community of care.

Breakout 2B

Interconnected Systems Framework-Aligned Discrimination Intervention to Reduce Racial Aggression Disparities Through the Pandemic

BASC Approved

Kelly Perales (Midwest PBIS Network, Pennsylvania)

This presentation will describe how the Interconnected System Framework is being used to address equity and disproportionality within a school district in Florida. The session will highlight how the project pivoted during Covid-19 to continue both the research and implementation efforts.

Breakout 2C

Healing Childhood Trauma Through Improvisation & Theatre

Vira Salzburn (Chatham County Safety Net Planning, Georgia), Brianne Halverson (Front Porch Improv, Georgia) Garret Zajac (Front Porch Improv, Georgia)

This presentation will discuss the implementation of the empirically-supported theatre-based Trauma Drama (TD) curriculum, explain the effectiveness of TD for youth with complex trauma, and highlight the benefits of applied improvisation. Participants will be able to explore programmatic considerations for a community- and/or school-based therapeutic program, build an understanding of basic TD theory and technique, and get a taste of TD techniques through play experience.

Breakout 2D

What if? The Power of Grace & Science: Supporting Every Learner Every Day

BASC Approved

Tammy Pawloski (Francis Marion Center of Excellence, South Carolina)

Teaching with grace and holding high expectations can co-exist! Learn three choices that inform hundreds of teacher moves every day and how those decisions can immediately change the brain and impact the success trajectory for students. Explore high-impact educator moves that matter most, and take away specific, budget-neutral resources to begin this work immediately–either face-to-face or in a distance setting.

Breakout 2E: Live Stream

Question: What is the Current State of FBA-BIPs? Answer: Lessons Learning from a Comprehensive Record Review of FBA-BIP Documents

Military Family Track

Shanna Hirsch (Clemson University, South Carolina), Tim Lewis (University of Missouri), Cathy Griffith (Clemson University, South Carolina) & Alex Carlson (Clemson University, South Carolina)

Although FBA-BIP are a common practice for students with disabilities, the research base is limited. This descriptive analysis examined the FBA-BIP records of 300 students with disabilities in one large school district. The results, limitations, future research, and implications for practice are discussed.

Breakout 2F

Supporting LGBTQ+ Students in Schools

BASC Approved

Jessie Guest (University of South Carolina) & Mitchell Toomey (University of South Carolina)

LGBTQ+ youth are at risk for depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts due to inaccurate gender appraisals (Leung, 2021). This is alarming considering that children often recognize their gender identity at an early age. Developmentally, children between the ages of 18-24 months old can recognize and label gender categories such as woman, feminine, man, masculine (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Additionally, children as young as three years of age can categorize their own gender (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Elementary and secondary school counselors in a surrounding school district in Columbia, SC, have reached out for support and understanding on how to address the needs of LGBTQ+ students and families in the schools. This presentation focuses on professional development trainings and their impact on supporting LGBTQ+ students in the elementary and secondary school settings through challenging previously held beliefs and educating school counselors and teachers on the developmental perspectives of gender identity.

Breakout 2G

Mirrors and Windows Book Club: Using Bibliotherapy to Build Cultural Competence

BASC Approved

Jennifer Stimpson (Cleveland County Schools, North Carolina) LaCresha Henderson (Cleveland County Schools, North Carolina) & Annery Sosa (Cleveland County Schools, North Carolina)

Our innovative Book Club challenges staff to reflect on their own identity and biases, and also deepens their understanding of racially and ethnically diverse students. Book Club participants read selected children’s books about race and ethnicity, and attend discussion sessions to explore insights from the books and how the books could be used with students. In this conference session, we will share implementation steps, tools, and results data. Then we will explore at least one book together.

Breakout 2H

Practical Science: Incremental Adjustments to Improve Practices in School Mental Health

Military Family Track

Paul Flaspohler (Miami University, Ohio), Katelyn Wargel (Miami University, Ohio), Amy Kerr (Miami University, Ohio), Amanda Meyer (Miami University, Ohio) & Adrianna Jones (Miami University, Ohio)

There is a high need for school-based mental health services. This presentation outlines a collaborative approach to meeting these needs, in which researchers partner with non-profit organizations and practitioners to improve existing services and build capacity for evaluation and implementation of mental health services in schools. Examples of these partnerships, lessons learned, and recommendations for practice will be discussed.

Breakout 2I

Family-School Communication Hamburger: Effective Strategies for Communication between School and Home

Gina Kunz (Carolina Family Engagement Center, University of South Carolina) & Claressa Hinton (Carolina Family Engagement Center, University of South Carolina)

The Carolina Family Engagement Center will (a) describe the Hamburger Approach to Effective and Efficient School-Home Communication, (b) provide the rationale behind the strategies that make this an effective approach to communication with families, (c) share associated tools and other resources, (d) use real-world examples, and (e) use a hamburger analogy to illustrate practical applications in the school context that build a foundation for communication between school and home

Breakout 3A: Live Stream

Using Family-School Partnerships to Support Students with Emotional and Behavior Concerns

Military Family Track

Andy Garbacz (University of Wisconsin-Madison) & Devon Minch (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

The purpose of this session is to describe how to use a modular-based approach to supporting students with emotional and behavior concerns at Tier 2 and Tier 3 using a partnership-centered process that actively engages parents and teachers in intervention planning and implementation. The session will emphasize a process for partnering with families and educators, as well as specific modular-based strategies that can be adapted and embedded in homes and schools. Research findings that demonstrate the benefit of modular-based family-school partnership interventions will be described. Implications for embedding family-school partnerships at Tier 1 to support Tier 2 and Tier 3 will also be discussed.

Breakout 3B

Whole System Engagement: Supporting Student Mental Health Needs

BASC Approved

Cheryl McGee (Oklahoma State Department of Education)

This session highlights State, District, and Site partnerships aimed at a system approach to meeting the mental health needs of scholars in nine rural districts in Oklahoma. Session leaders will share what has been done at the State agency to leverage the resources and talent across several related projects and departments to begin articulating an Interconnected System Framework and how work across multiple projects is building capacity to support districts and sites.

Breakout 3C

Go Lime Green, Mental Health Matters! Bringing Mental Health Awareness to Communities Through Sports

BASC Approved

Eli B Bradley (NAMI South Carolina) & Chris Williams (NAMI South Carolina)

Go Lime Green, Mental Health Matters is a NAMI SC initiative with the vision of renewing and transforming communities using the platform of sport to educate and empower individuals in normalizing conversation about mental health. This program is offered to every middle and high school across the state of South Carolina. Each Go Lime Green event is unique, in nature, in terms of population, school type, needs of the students and community, and response of the community.

Breakout 3D

Increasing SBMH Access Across Tiers: Innovative Practices of a Large, Rural Georgia Apex Program Provider

Isis Nelson-Graham (Center of Excellence for Children’s Behavioral Health, Georgia), Eliza Ballou (Center of Excellence for Children’s Behavioral Health, Georgia State University), Audrey Blake (Center of Excellence for Children’s Behavioral Health, Georgia State University) Layla Fitzgerald (Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities, Georgia), Marnie Braswell (Community Service Board of Middle Georgia) & Connie Smith (Community Service Board of Middle Georgia)

To address mental health needs in the school setting, a multi-tiered school based mental health framework is commonly used. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools were abruptly shut down for varying lengths of time, which greatly disrupted the traditional delivery of school-based mental health services. School-based telehealth emerged as a solution. This presentation will take a closer look at the use of school-based telehealth services, and other innovative practices used in the GA Apex program.

Breakout 3E: Live Stream

Project AWARE, MTSS, PBIS: Moving Forward with Student Wellness

Jenny Chapple (Hall County Project AWARE, Georgia), April Bagwell (Hall County School District, Georgia), Tangela Brice (Houston County AWARE, Georgia), Tajalyn Woodruff (Bibb County AWARE, Georgia) Tamara Etterling (Hall County School District, Georgia)

Hear from Bibb, Hall and Houston County school districts on how they are increasing awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth, providing training for school personnel and other adults on mental health issues in youth and how they are connecting school-aged youth with behavioral health issues and their families to needed services.

Breakout 3F

Wait…What? Integrate Mental Health Into the School System? Impossible!!!

BASC Approved

Military Family Track

Deanna Moerer (National Youth Advocate Program, Pennsylvania)

Participants will be provided with a step-by-step process and concrete examples on how to partner, design and integrate a mental health community agency into their district with lessons learned of what not to do! This content will show you how agency staff are embedded on all three tiers, showing how several districts paid for services, what types of evidence-based programs were implemented, and data collection procedures. Finally, a return on investment will be presented on outcomes.

Breakout 3G

Jump-starting LEA Reimbursement Post-COVID

Valeria Williams (The Child Health Readiness Group, South Carolina); Shelley A McGeorge (The Child Health Readiness Group, South Carolina)

In this session participants will learn strategies for addressing major barriers to delivering and billing for Medicaid services in a post-COVID environment. Will highlight the importance of returning reimbursements to pre-COVID levels and discuss the fiscal impact to school systems. The presentation will focus on providing ideas to address services delivery and financial barriers in schools that participants can immediately implement to address these issues

Breakout 3H

Invisible Sentence: Recognizing, Supporting, and Advocating for Children of Incarcerated and Returning Parents

Melissa Radcliff (Our Children’s Place of Coastal Horizons, North Carolina)

On any given day, there are an estimated 2.7 million children in the US with at least one incarcerated parent (16,000+ in NC). This workshop will focus on what we know and do not know about the children, impacts of parental incarceration and re-entry, and ways to better identify and meet their needs through partnership and collaboration. The presenter will discuss the importance of gathering information and insight from the children themselves to ensure that their voices are heard.

Welcome from Conference Co-chairs Mark Weist, Professor of Psychology University of South Carolina; Director, Behavioral Alliance of South Carolina (BASC) and

Bob Stevens, Senior Advisor for the SSBHC and Consultant to BASC, AWARE and STAR Clinical Research Network

Key Note Address

Brittany R. Patterson

(University of Maryland, School of Medicine, National Center for School Mental Health)

“It Takes A Village” To Promote Mental Health For All

BASC Approved

Due to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on the social emotional, behavioral health, and well-being of our school communities, prioritizing the quality of our foundation is more important than ever before. The importance and effectiveness of quality school mental health is well-established but COVID-19 continues to threaten the mental health of all – the foundation of school mental health quality. “Without a solid foundation, you’ll have trouble creating anything of value”, so this keynote will review current mental health trends impacting school communities, detail best practices for Promoting Mental Health for ALL, and share resources that will help diverse stakeholders, “the village,” contribute to Promoting Mental Health for ALL.

Breakout 4A: Live Stream

TRAUMA! When Your Student’s “Learning Brain” Goes Offline Survival Interventions Within a Multi-Tiered Framework

BASC Approved

Military Family Track

Deanna Moerer (National Youth Advocate Program, Pennsylvania) & Donna Halpin (Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network)

Participants will learn a comprehensive process to embed Tier I, II and III evidence-based trauma interventions that include a Tier I PBIS rubric that is trauma aligned, building calm corners using sensory integration, mindfulness, yoga and MeMoves, targeted trauma screeners to identify root causes to determine Tier II EBPs such as CBITS, GTREM, and The Blues Program and Tier III resource mapping for Trauma focused CBT. Finally, participants will apply learned knowledge to a case study.

Breakout 4B

Building Resilience Through Self-Compassion

BASC Approved

Vira Salzburn (Chatham County Safety Net Planning, Georgia)

This workshop will introduce participants to the evidence-based trauma-sensitive Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program. It will explore how cultivating the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion can help enhance resilience for leaders, educators, caregivers, and the community at large in the face of childhood trauma and adversity. The workshop will also describe the development and integration of the MSC program on the school and community levels with the focus on community partnerships.

Breakout 4C

Developing and Leading Effective School Mental Health Programs

BASC Approved

Chris Haines (South Carolina Department of Mental Health/Greater Greenville Mental Health Center, South Carolina)

Comprehensive School Mental Health Programs integrate therapists into schools and provide Tier 3 mental health services for children on-site. In this presentation, fundamentals of beginning and improving school mental health programs will be discussed. Participants will learn how therapists and schools can partner to implement effective mental health supports, and they will learn how Tier 3 mental health services are implemented in Greenville, South Carolina’s strong SMH program.

Breakout 4D

I-CARE: A Pilot Implementation of an Instructional Approach for Supporting Self-Care Practices with Service Providers of Systems-Involved Youth

Sara Sanders (University of Alabama), Olivia Hester (University of Alabama) & Kristine Jolivette (University of Alabama)

Empowering service providers who work with systems-involved youth is critical in improving the well-being and preventing stress, trauma, and burnout, especially in the wake of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. One way to support consistent self-care practices is through a multi-tiered system of support self-care approach. This poster provides the result of a pilot study of I-CARE, an instructional approach for increasing daily self-care practices with service providers of systems-involved youth.

Breakout 4E: Live Stream

Supporting Rural Students and Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Strategies, Successes, & Lessons Learned

BASC Approved

Elizabeth Mellin (Binghamton University – State University of New York), Dawn Anderson-Butcher (Ohio State University), Noelle Britt (Ohio State University) & Olivia Rozsits (Ohio State University)

The COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis for students. In this presentation, we share experiences scaling up two community schools in high-poverty rural districts during the pandemic. We highlight strategies for engaging stakeholders when we were unable to build relationships in-person. We will also share how the needs of students evolved, programmatic responses, as well as successes. Lastly, will share lessons about supporting rural schools in addressing the impacts of the pandemic on students.

Breakout 4F

Using family-school data and family voice to inform improvements to schoolwide systems and family-school collaboration.

BASC Approved

Andy Garbacz (University of Wisconsin-Madison) & Devon Minch (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

The purpose of this session is to describe how to use family-school data, including family voice and perspectives, to inform improvements to schoolwide systems and family-school collaboration efforts. The session will emphasize considerations for collecting family perspectives and family-school data in connection with school priorities across Tiers 1, 2 and 3. Implications for using family school data and family perspectives to inform school decisions, improvements to schoolwide systems and service delivery considerations across Tiers 1, 2 and 3. Implications for using data to inform tiered approaches to family-school collaboration infrastructure and practices will be described and example tools and resources will be shared.

Breakout 4G

Training Paraeducators to be Collaborative FBA/BIP Team Members

BASC Approved

Zineb Moumene (Clemson University, South Carolina) Mya Kelley (Clemson University, South Carolina) Shanna Hirsch (Clemson University)

Extensive literature suggests an overreliance on paraprofessionals (teacher assistants) to support students with disabilities in the classroom. In this presentation we will discuss the importance of providing paraprofessionals with appropriate intervention training, a four-step training process that can be catered to individual students, and the importance of treatment fidelity when implementing BIPs.

Breakout 4H

Cultivating Resilient Learning Communities

BASC Approved

Ivy Mack (Research Triangle Institute International, North Carolina)

The effects of trauma and stress due to the current pandemic can be felt across many systems in our society, including education. As a result, schools must provide systems and structures for students, educators, and families to cultivate resilience. This session will help you recognize and implement systemic and trauma-sensitive social and emotional learning by delving into the Resilient Learning Communities Framework to cultivate resilience for individuals and the school community.

Breakout 4I

Exploring the Impacts of Purple Star Designation Programs for South Carolina’s Military-Connected Students

Military Family Track

Georgia L McKown (Military Child Education Coalition, Virginia), Becky Porter (Military Child Education Coalition, Texas) & Tara Gleason (Military Child Education Coalition, Colorado)

This session will include a review of military-related lifestyle demands and how they have been found to impact learning and development. The presenters will introduce existing Purple Star designation programs and results of a preliminary research study exploring the early impacts of the programs. Participants will discuss how a Purple Star designation and its accompanying initiatives may serve students in their own school or district with presenters and peers.

Breakout 5A: Live Stream

Providing What Works to Match Student Needs: Research to Inform Improved School Mental Health

Military Family Track

Eric Bruns (University of Washington), Elizabeth McCauley (University of Washington), Michael Pullman (University of Washington), Kristine Lee (Boston University) & Kristy Ludwig (University of Washington)

In this presentation, the authors will present findings from a large efficacy study of an innovative SMH treatment approach. Although the primary aim of the study was to test whether the Brief Intervention for School Clinicians (BRISC) can improve effectiveness and efficiency of SMH, the project also provides insights into the top problems of students, racial differences in presenting problems, and the nature of SMH “services as usual,” all of which have implications for improving SMH.

Breakout 5B

Identifying and Responding to Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents

Angela Landers (Georgia Southern University)

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) in adolescents is alarming with a suspected 17% prevalence rate in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 (Swannell et al., 2014). These alarming behaviors are also associated with later-in-life mental health issues and even suicide attempts. While NSSI is often misunderstood and anxiety provoking for school officials, it is also imperative for school officials to be able to identify these behaviors and respond appropriately and compassionately. This session provides information about NSSI, how to identify it in adolescents, and how to concretely respond to the student and move towards an intervention.

Breakout 5C

Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Students, Adults and Community Through Creative and Innovative Solutions

Military Family Track

Nancy Turner (Rock Hill School District, South Carolina)

In the last few years, mental health issues have escalated, demonstrating unprecedented anxiety, trauma and chronic stress to students, staff and community. Due to these issues, the Rock Hill School District and community partners have collaborated to offer creative and innovative options for current mental health issues. This presentation will provide insights in our mental health journey and lessons learned through the discussion of services for all students and staff.

Breakout 5D

Mindfulness & Trauma Impact of COVID-19

BASC Approved

Allen Pope (Orangeburg County School District, South Carolina)

This session will explore the relevance of Mindfulness and the Trauma Impact of COIVD-19 Pandemic. COVID-19 abruptly affected student’s learning over the past two school years, which impacted their social emotional well-being and academic achievement.

Breakout 5E: Live Stream

Keep Calm and Love Data: How Measurement-Based Care Implementation Can Drive More Student-Centered, Family-Partnered, and Effective School Mental Health Interventions

BASC Approved

Military Family Track

Elizabeth Connors (Yale University, Connecticut)

Tracking student progress and partnering with students and families in the process can overwhelm even the most advanced student mental health systems. Join this session to learn how to feasibly integrate measurement-based care (MBC) in Tier 2 and 3 mental health services to ensure interventions are student-centered, family-partnered, and effective. Come learn about MBC, its value in schools, free and low-cost progress measures, and implementation of best practices based on national research.

Breakout 5F

Description and Outcomes of the Teacher Anxiety Program for Elementary Students, a Brief School-Home Intervention

Golda Ginsburg (University of Connecticut) & Jeff Pella (University of Connecticut)

This presentation describes the rationale and preliminary outcomes of the Teacher Anxiety Program for Elementary Students (TAPES). TAPES includes a one-day teacher training and a brief school-home intervention for students struggling with anxiety.

Breakout 5G

The Bullying Triangle: Effective and Efficient Prevention

BASC Approved

Eric Landers (Georgia Southern University)

This presentation discusses the Problem Analysis Triangle to prevent bullying in schools. Bullying impacts school personnel in terms of time, effort, and even money. Participants will learn how the bully, the victim, and the opportunity work together to create the bullying situation. Participants will also learn how to strengthen different support already present in their schools to better predict bullying, protect the victims, and address the bully when the behavior has occurred.

Breakout 5H

Development and Implementation of a Rural School-Based Mental Health System: An Illustration of Implementation Frameworks

Nicole Skaar (University of Northern Iowa)

Schools have started to develop multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to address student mental health needs. Developing, implementing, and institutionalizing systems-level reforms in schools is difficult work that can take many years. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the development and implementation of a school-based mental health multi-tiered system of support in collaboration with a small rural school district.

Breakout 5I

Reinvesting In Children’s Holistic Development Via Integration In A Multi-Tiered System Of Support

Military Family Track

David F. Stodden (University of South Carolina)

As the necessity to alleviate and potentially reverse negative trajectories of health and well-being that many children and adolescents currently face, we hope to effectively articulate a vision that provides the needed stimulus to re-think our approach to intervention by re-emphasizing a focus on holistic development across a multi-tiered intervention framework. We will provide a background on the linkages between physical, social-emotional, self-concept and cognitive development and how a multi-tiered intervention framework can more effectively facilitate positive trajectories of behavioral health, with a specific focus on potential intervention resources for Military families.

Breakout 6A: Live Stream

When Systems Fail Students: The Intersection of Juvenile Justice and School Mental Health

BASC Approved

Jennifer Ulie-Wells (Please Pass the Love, Iowa)

This engaging, eye-opening session will challenge everything you thought you knew about mental health, discipline, and the juvenile justice systems and leave you with sustainable strategies to change the lives of the students needing it the most. It is a must-attend session for all school staff, mental health & juvenile justice professionals.

Breakout 6B

Family Therapy and Parent Interventions in MTSS: Restorative and Collaborative Systems toward Student Success

Cara Thompson (Richland School District Two, South Carolina) LaShonda Linnen (Richland School District Two, South Carolina)

To increase use of restorative practices, a school district in South Carolina offers family therapists skilled in trauma-focused strategies and parent-focused interventions at each tier. A multidisciplinary team of a family therapist, administrator, school social worker, and MTSS specialist will facilitate discussion on how participants can incorporate family and parent-focused interventions in their schools with existing resources and community partnerships.

Breakout 6C

Promoting Resiliency and Mental Health of Military-Connected Students Through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

Military Family Track

Suzanne B Snyder (South Carolina Department of Education), Tremekia Priester (South Carolina Department of Education) & John D Terry (United States Air Force, South Carolina)

Military-connected students encounter significant challenges due to the unique demands placed on military families. This presentation will inform attendees on innovative approaches to integrating school behavioral health implementation processes and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to promote the resiliency and mental health of military-connected students.

Breakout 6D

One Linden, Multiple Strategies: Responding to Needs in Underserved, Urban Elementary Schools

Noelle Britt (The Ohio State University), Dawn Anderson-Butcher (The Ohio State University), Samantha Bates (The Ohio State University) & Olivia Rozsits (The Ohio State University)

This presentation will summarize a university-school partnership model designed to strengthen the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), elevate the voices of students, families, and teachers, and increase access to behavioral health services in two underserved, urban elementary schools. Presenters will share our Community Collaboration Model, evidence-based school climate measures, and innovative MTSS interventions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Breakout 6E: Live Stream

Tiered Social Emotional Learning Strategies Through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

BASC Approved

Michelle Dunn (SWIFT Education Center, South Carolina) & Jennifer Hall (Clemson University, South Carolina)

This interactive presentation will provide an overview of Socioemotional Learning (SEL) through a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lens. Participants will engage in assessment of current practices at each tier and discuss ways to support a more inclusive school and classroom culture. Ideas for how administrators, teachers, school counselors, and school psychologists can collaborate will be provided. Participants will be provided with interventions they can implement in their schools.

Breakout 6F

Utilizing a Solution-Focused Strength-Based Approach to Support School Culture and Beyond

BASC Approved

Dana Engel (Nova Southeastern University, Florida) & Julia Morett-Vij (Nova Southeastern University, Florida)

Throughout this presentation, the transition from in-person instruction to distance learning, and back to an in-person setting will be explored with the intention of focusing on “what works” during the era of COVID-19. Relational strategies and strength-based tips through the lens of a Solution-Focused approach will be utilized to demonstrate an engaging and supportive school culture in and out of the classroom and the larger community.

Breakout 6G

Pyramid Model Tier 2 for All: Individual- and Classroom-Level Supports for Birth-to-Preschool Social Emotional Development

Sarah Edmunds (University of South Carolina) & Kate Ascetta (University of South Carolina)

Using specific case examples and interactive scenarios, this workshop will share how early childhood educators can use both Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) and traditional Pyramid Model Tier 2 strategies to support toddlers and preschoolers—both at the classroom level and for individual students—in social communication, interaction, and emotion regulation.

Breakout 6H

Mobile Technologies for Supporting Youth Mental Health: A Scoping Review of Effectiveness, Limitations, and Inclusivity

Shannon G Litke (Drexel University), Annie Resnikoff (Drexel University), Ashley E Anil (Drexel University) & Brian Daly (Drexel University)

This presentation provides a scoping review of the current literature on effectiveness of mobile health (mHealth) applications for intervention and/or assessment of mental health challenges in school-aged youth. Discussion will highlight gaps in the literature, focusing on inclusion of racial/ethnic minority youth in research samples and the need for culturally sensitive adaptations. Presenters will discuss recommendations and implications for mental health providers and school communities.