September 20-22, 2023
Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa
1800 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40511
September 20-22, 2023
Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa
1800 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40511
September 20-22, 2023 | Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa
1800 Newtown Pike | Lexington, KY 40511
We look forward to having you join us at the Kentucky School Counselor Association Conference!
Advocating For Your Role Using The Use of Time Data
Lead Presenter: Leslie McKinney
Attendees will learn the importance of keeping their use of time data to help advocate to their administrators about their role as a school-based mental health provider. They will see three easy-to-implement options the Kentucky Department of Education has released to help them document their use of time with direct and indirect services, including appropriate versus inappropriate activities.
Anger and Aggression in Childhood and Adolescence
Lead Presenter: Raychelle Lohmann
Anger is perhaps one of our most misunderstood emotions. Although it serves a purpose in our lives, it can also be destructive and problematic, especially to youth. A lot of young people struggle with difficult emotions like anger, but if their anger is taking a toll on their emotional, social, and academic wellbeing, then it is time to help them learn how to deal with the troublesome emotion without losing their temper. Together, anger and aggression can create a perfect storm leading to trouble and undesirable consequences. In this presentation, attendees will learn about the relationships between anger and aggression and help youth develop healthy strategies to cope with anger and regain control over their emotions and behaviors.
Creating a WAVE of Change with Trauma-Informed Interventions
Lead Presenter: Kellie Thompson
Learn how the Project Prevent initiative has helped schools create a WAVE of change by implementing trauma-informed interventions into a sustainable multi-tiered system of support to increase family engagement and improve student behavior. Attendees participating in this interactive session will leave with multiple ready-to-implement trauma-informed tier 1 and tier 2 interventions to support the students and families who need them the most..
Get Back to Counseling: Take Inappropriate Duties Off Your Plate
Lead Presenter: Monique Young
Do you feel like your day is compounded with tasks that have little to nothing to do with counseling? There’s so many other useful ways you can be using your time and expertise but year after year you find yourself in inappropriate tasks. Participants of this session will learn strategies to approach their administration about their role and how to open the school community’s idea of what a school counselor can deliver.
ILP Best Practices
Lead Presenter: Carla Kersey
Once upon a time in Kentucky, students were rushed into a computer lab to obtain a 100% mark for their Individual Learning Plan (ILP). It was all about compliance instead of student engagement. Then one bright day, the decision was made that each school district would have autonomy for their students’ ILP. But then the questions began- what do we need to be successful with the ILP? In this session, we will share Best Practices for the ILP.
Is a College Degree the ONLY Ticket to Success?
Lead Presenter: Steven Coyle
For years we have been telling students to go to college to get a great career. In fact, we are pushing students into college at a 70% clip. However, almost 70% of careers available today do not require a college degree. Skilled trades are in high demand and can provide students with a great career and great pay! Come join Dr. Coyle to learn what those careers are and how you can reach more of your students. You will also learn how to get industry involved in your schools and how to get more buy in with parents. See what UTI is doing to get girls involved in STEM careers. Finally, learn how students can make school more affordable to avoid debt after graduation.
It’s Never Too Early To Start SEL-Driven College and Career Readiness!
Lead Presenter: Heather Bushelman
SEL-Driven college and career readiness should begin as early as possible to instill a sense of hope within our students! Attendees will learn the importance of starting these conversations in kindergarten using hands-on activities, role play, books, technology, a variety of stakeholders, and SEL skills. A model will also be shown how to easily implement these strategies developmentally for each grade level.
“We Are All on Duty”
Lead Presenter: Chele Gillon
With repeated acts of mass violence occurring, mental health and safety are topics on everyone’s radar. What do we need to do to keep everyone safe? What signs do we need to recognize and what mental health supports can we put in place to help our students and staff? It will take ALL of us to take care of one another. We must be vigilant, we must know and recognize the warning signs, we must build relationships. We Are All on Duty.
You Can’t Read a Book and Run from a Lion at the Same Time
Lead Presenter: Tara Brown
High stress and survival mode is the norm for many students. Understanding the role of emotions and positive connections in human behavior, motivation and engagement is critical to helping youth in their academic/personal journey. The neuroscience behind cortisol, stress, emotional safety and academic growth is covered and thoroughly explained. Proven strategies to help create a safe classroom environment as well as build stronger connections with kids will be provided. This engaging fast paced session presents 6 powerful keys from brain research to combat the stress, motivate, engage and prime the brain in order to stop the ‘running from lions’ and start the learning.
Anger and Aggression in Childhood and Adolescence
Lead Presenter: Raychelle Lohmann
Anger is perhaps one of our most misunderstood emotions. Although it serves a purpose in our lives, it can also be destructive and problematic, especially to youth. A lot of young people struggle with difficult emotions like anger, but if their anger is taking a toll on their emotional, social, and academic wellbeing, then it is time to help them learn how to deal with the troublesome emotion without losing their temper. Together, anger and aggression can create a perfect storm leading to trouble and undesirable consequences. In this presentation, attendees will learn about the relationships between anger and aggression and help youth develop healthy strategies to cope with anger and regain control over their emotions and behaviors.
Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) Model
Lead Presenter: Rachel Pufall
Returning to traditional learning environments following COVID-19 has been challenging to educators and students. Challenging student behavior continues to be a top concern for many educators. The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) model by Dr. Ross Greene is a research based intervention that can be used within a MTSS at all three levels and aligns to KDE’s United We Learn initiative to help students meet behavior expectations.
Fighting Youth Vaping (Nicotine & THC), Together
Lead Presenter: Camille Croweak
This presentation will cover trends in both nicotine and cannabis use by youth, with a primary focus on the use of vaping devices. An emphasis will be placed on the convergence between nicotine and cannabis and how school personnel, in collaboration with their communities, can effectively address youth use.
School Counselors and SROs “A Powerful Team”
Lead Presenter: Ben Wilcox
This presentation will provide information on mental health, trauma informed care and working with students with special needs training that is mandated and included in School Resource Officer (SRO) certification. The information provided will help school counselors understand the training SROs receive and how to build a working relationship with your assigned SRO. Speakers will include Counselors and School Resource Officers.
Secret Service Threat Assessment Protocol Overview
Lead Presenter: Wes Cornett
The Kentucky Center for School Safety appreciates the work School Counselors do to promote physical and psychology safety for all students. School Counselors are vital members of school based threat assessment teams, established as part of the School Safety and Resiliency Act of 2019. This session will overview the SIGMA Model for Threat Assessments with supporting research from the U.S. Secret Service and Dr. Peter Langman.
Small Groups- What am I doing?!
Lead Presenter: Laura Doty
Small groups…..AHHH!!! Important yet overwhelming at times. I’ll share how we determine who to service in our small groups, who services them, and what do we do in our small groups. My school services 730 (+/-) students in first-third grades and through our small groups we were able to reach over 100 students this last year.
Teaching Executive Functioning Skills at the Elementary Level
Lead Presenter: Kaet Barron
One of the lesser-known impacts of COVID 19 is the decline of executive functioning skills in our students. Since returning to “normal,” students seem to have forgotten how to get their own pencil, solve their own problems or communicate their needs. Working memory, self-control and mental flexibility are the core skills needed to improve executive functioning. Learn how teach and reinforce executive functioning skills to your school.
Trauma Informed Practices in Unconventional Settings
Lead Presenter: Amy Riley
We know the impact of trauma on the developing human brain & probably use these strategies in our counseling classroom lessons. But, are we truly trauma-informed if these practices are only used in classrooms? Hear about the efforts of an elementary school counselor to bring trauma-informed practices to the most unconventional places in her school like the cafeteria, buses, and in the hallways and how this changed the climate of her school.
Using Data for College & Career Choices
Lead Presenter: Jessica Fletcher
The Kentucky Center for Statistics creates numerous dashboards that are aimed at helping students make career and college decisions based on real Kentucky data. This includes using state wage data, cost of college attendance at Kentucky public universities, and in-depth occupation descriptions. The presentation will guide counselors and educators on how to best use these tools with the students they serve.
You Can’t Read a Book and Run from a Lion at the Same Time
Lead Presenter: Tara Brown
High stress and survival mode is the norm for many students. Understanding the role of emotions and positive connections in human behavior, motivation and engagement is critical to helping youth in their academic/personal journey. The neuroscience behind cortisol, stress, emotional safety and academic growth is covered and thoroughly explained. Proven strategies to help create a safe classroom environment as well as build stronger connections with kids will be provided. This engaging fast paced session presents 6 powerful keys from brain research to combat the stress, motivate, engage and prime the brain in order to stop the ‘running from lions’ and start the learning.
Creating Change with Evidence Based Programs
Lead Presenter: Sheila Barnard
Ride the wave of change by strengthening Social Emotional Learning skills along with Substance Use/Misuse Prevention and Suicide Prevention skills using evidence-based programs. Learn from actual implementers of Sources of Strength and Too Good for Drugs what these programs can bring to your school and how the climate can change. And these programs can be yours at no cost.
Elementary School Counseling Curriculum and Programming
Lead Presenter: Kathleen Koerner
A comprehensive school counseling program includes many components, one of them being Tier 1, 2 and 3 curriculum and programming. In this session you will learn about different programs, supplemental materials, and content that can be used for any of your interventions. Some of the topics will include classroom skills, executive skills, problem solving, emotion management , self-concept, goal setting, self-control, empathy and compassion, ect.
From Silos to Synergy: Building Bridges for School-Based Mental Health
Lead Presenter: Santina Plottner
School counselors and mental health clinicians are like the two sides of a bridge, each essential to reaching the other side where students can find the support and resources they need to thrive. Join this session to collaborate with other school counselors on school-based mental health best practices as well as how to cooperative, collaborate, and connect with our mental health partners to support the whole child.
Let’s get STOKED about Learning Counseling Tools and Strategies!
Lead Presenter: Sherlyn Bratcher
Are you excited about school counseling and helping your students, staff and families meet their needs? In this session, participants will have the opportunity to practice over 20 different strategies for all levels! Excited yet? They will cover engagement, mindfulness, connection and other counseling strategies. Participants will leave with strategies (and some giveaways) they can go back and implement into their program.
Optimal Arousal Reading Writing and Arithmetic Strategies (OARRRS)
Lead Presenter: David Daniel
After the tornadoes, floods and pandemic had ravaged Kentucky, there was a noticeable trend in disruptive behaviors relative to sensory dysregulation. In response, the West Kentucky Educational Cooperative developed a systematic approach to de-escalating behaviors that result from sensory seeking and avoidance. OARRRS is a muti-tiered system approach for delivering sensory strategies designed specifically for the student’s individual needs.
The Power of Small Group Counseling: Building Stronger Connections
Lead Presenter: Krystel Santiago
The Power of Small Group Counseling is a session that will provide everything a School Counselor will need from beginning to end for a School Year, including Optimistic Thinking, Self-Management, Goal-Directed Behavior, and Relationship Skills. We will have activities like Make and Take to help students identify feelings or how they feel from Fist to Five, pre and post-assessments to measure student progress and lessons for six sessions of each.
Save the Drama for Your Small Groups
Lead Presenter: Kenley Ringstaff-Hefner
Small groups are great– when you can find time to get them in surrounded by all the other craziness you deal with on the daily! What if you created more small groups to help you achieve your goal of small groups?! This is how I curbed the drama (mostly) in our school, gave our “dramatics” a time to use their voice, and saved my time for small groups!!
School Safety Solutions
Lead Presenter: Beth Dudjak
Discover a variety of tools to support your school’s unique needs while educating and empowering students with strategies to recognize and respond appropriately to abuse, bullying, digital dangers and more! School Counselors will learn the latest research and best-practice guidelines for implementing child-focused prevention to help overcome barriers to student success and why a comprehensive, evidence-based/trauma-informed curriculum matters.
The Simplest Way to Advocate Using Your Calendar Data
Lead Presenter: Amy Beal
In this session, you will learn why time documentation and
analysis support data-driven school counseling programs;
how to document your services and how you spend time
as a school counselor; ways to explain and share data about
your school counseling program; and how to use the data to
advocate and improve your program’s impact and outcomes.
Better FAFSA Better Future: Navigating FAFSA Simplification
Lead Presenter: Casi Benedict
The implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act scheduled to go into effect later this year will bring significant changes to the process students and families use to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, as well as to how student eligibility for financial aid programs is determined. Join KHEAA for an overview of these changes, and receive tips on how to help your students navigate the FAFSA process.
Building School and Community Mental Health Partnerships
Lead Presenter: Kelly Fox
In this session, participants will learn how to develop district-wide partnerships between schools and mental health agencies. Collaboration between agencies includes referrals for Individual Counseling, Group Counseling, Suicide Risk Assessment, Threat Assessment, Crisis Response Services, and Staff Support. Step-by-Step procedures will be shared about how to support students receiving Tier III mental health services.
Creating SEL Clubs
Lead Presenter: Jessica Longland
Learn how one elementary school created a series of SEL after school clubs including yoga, social skills soccer, mentor and kindness club. The counselor, principal and staff then collaborated to make clubs accessible to all students by creating school-wide club days. Leave with practical strategies to create and implement your own unique SEL club series that will result in supportive relationships and a positive school environment.
Fentanyl – Fake & Fatal
Lead Presenter: Michael DeLeon
Fentanyl is now the #1 cause of death in America for 18 – 45 years of age. The fastest growing age demographic in America for fentanyl poisoning and death is now 14 years of age and younger. It’s no longer a drug that is killing addicts. It’s a weapon of mass destruction destroying a generation. Awareness is not enough; we must provide comprehensive education. This session will teach attendees exactly how to do that.
Implementation of the ASCA Framework in Christian County, KY
Lead Presenter: Kim Stevenson
The ASCA Framework can be quite overwhelming especially for new counselors; however, it is essential in building a successful counseling program. During this presentation, school counselors will have a better understanding of how to implement the ASCA Framework. Topics of discussion will include implementation of small groups, developing gap goals, delivery of indirect/direct services, and how to assess one’s school counseling program.
Implementing Student Mental Health Round Tables
Lead Presenter: Kelly Savicki
We will share our implementation of a regional mental health roundtable for middle and high school students. This event empowered students to openly share their voice and generate ideas to discuss with school leaders, which had a huge ripple effect. One local high school will share their school’s mental health round table data and outcomes. Leave this session with the tools to create this amazing opportunity for your students.
The Role of Educator Well being in School Communities
Lead Presenter: Chris Ramsey
Through mindful movement, intentional breath work, and trauma-informed meditation practices, we will look at the various ways in which an increase in the social-emotional health of the educators can radically impact the social-emotional health of the students, thus positively impacting the entire school community! Come ready to receive turnkey strategies that you can take back to your schools and districts tomorrow!
School Counseling for Social Justice
Lead Presenter: Karin Pulliam
Through Core Counseling instruction, School Counselors have a unique opportunity to challenge students to think about their own school community and their role as global citizens. I will share ASCA standards-based lessons I utilize in the classroom that spark student’s critical thinking about immigration, inclusion/disability, race, and gender identity. Are you ready to take student advocacy to the next level? Join me!
Student Support Collaboration: A Framework for Effective Teaming
Lead Presenter: Mackenzie Leachman
Voices from across the state will describe effective collaboration with real life examples and real talk from professionals in Kentucky. Tools to promote awareness and advocacy of roles, strengths and skills to support a collective, inclusive student support model will be presented. Participants will leave with a tool to promote advocacy and collaboration, identify potential barriers and create action plans for effective teaming.
A Different Take on Data
Lead Presenter: Meredith Draughn
“In God we trust. All others must bring data.” This W. Edwards Demings quote is relevant for school counselors, who are often been expected to compile data without really knowing how or why. Join 2023 School Counselor of the Year Meredith Draughn for a dynamic discussion of “the D word.” Learn how you can transform your data into an invaluable tool to easily drive your school counseling program, serve all students in each domain and effortlessly explain to administrators and others what really do all day.
Cultivating a Positive Climate and Culture
Lead Presenter: Heather Moore
Let’s talk about an engaging environment!! This high energy session will provide examples, strategies, and testimonies on how to transform your school into a positive place to be! From cultivating a climate and culture with your colleagues to building and fostering imperative relationships with your students. Every crucial component of bringing your building closer together will be discussed.
Embedding SEL within the Classroom
Lead Presenter: Jordan Letcher-Williams
During this session, participants will learn techniques and tools to embed CASEL’s 5 Social Emotional Learning Competencies within their daily classroom routines. We will focus primarily on Kentucky Academic Math Standards, but will share strategies that can be implemented in any classroom. School Counselors attending this session will be able to take the ideas and strategies presented and share them with teachers within their buildings.
Mind the Gap for Postsecondary Dreams – Helping Students Be All They Can Be
Lead Presenter: Abby Murdock
If there was a one-stop shop for all your students’ dream planning success and you had access to FREE resources for ACT/SAT prep, a Career Exploration Program, info/resources on postsecondary planning (financial aid, occupational outlook, college programs, resume/portfolio building), would you pass up the opportunity to find out how? Every student deserves the opportunity and resources to make informed decisions on their postsecondary plans.
SEL in the Low Incidence Population
Lead Presenter: Naomi Colliver
Presenters Amanda Bell and Naomi Colliver will share strategies to implement social emotional learning for students with moderate to severe disabilities. Participants will leave this session with resources to utilize in a self contained special education classroom, as well as SEL resources for individual work. Presenters will also discuss supporting students in collaborative classroom settings.
Skilled Trades Apprenticeship: A Journey to Success
Lead Presenter: Sid Nelson
Skilled Trades Apprenticeship: A Journey to Success is a dive into what Skilled Trades apprenticeship was, what it is now, and how it can benefit your students and community. The benefits of apprenticeship and how it fit into post-secondary planning, which learning types benefit most will be discussed at length in an open discussion type presentation.
Surfing to Success: The Power of Student Success Meetings
Lead Presenter: Stacey Russell
Transitions are hard, but sitting down with a trusted adult can help calm student fears. Learn how school counselors and administrators use individual student data (grades, test scores, behavior, and attendance), as well as career interest data, to meet with every student in a transition year to plan an personalized pathway to success. Walk away with a template and plan to create your own meetings!
WOOF! Life is Hard! How to Launch & Utilize a Therapy Dog Program at School
Lead Presenter: Kari McGrath
Studies show that petting a dog can increase both dopamine & serotonin levels, the “feel good” chemicals our brain releases to improve mood & happiness! Over the past 2 years I have worked to train, certify, and insure my dog Sookie as a Therapy Dog. Join me to learn about the process of getting your dog certified, how to approach your administration and school-board, as well as ways to utilize your Therapy Dog to help students and staff.
Work Smarter NOT Harder
Lead Presenter: Maris Selski-Green
Do you ever feel overwhelmed trying to implement your comprehensive school counseling program? Do you ever feel like you’re doing 100% of everything but only 50% well? Do you have multiple plates spinning but feel they could crash at any given moment? This session will provide you strategies/resources that can be implemented immediately and will help you organize the tasks and demands so that you’re able to focus on what matters most-students.
National Center for Youth Issues
ATTN: KY-SCA
P.O. Box 22185
Chattanooga, TN 37422-2185
All intellectual property rights in and to the KSCA Annual Conference (“the Event”), the content and all materials distributed at or in connection with the Event are owned by the Kentucky School Counselor Association and/or the Event sponsors or speakers presenting at the Event. You may not use or reproduce or allow anyone to use or reproduce any trademarks or other trade names appearing at the Event, in any Event content and/or in any materials distributed at or in connection with the Event for any reason without the prior written permission of Kentucky School Counselor Association or the presenting speaker.
