November 6-8, 2024
Embassy Suites Resort & Convention Center
Concord, NC
We look forward to having you join us at the North Carolina School Counselor Association Conference!
We hope to see you next year!
Anti-Racist Practices in Rural Schools
Lead Presenter: Allison Fears
With more attention being brought to anti-racist school counseling practices, and being encouraged ethically by ASCA, there is a significant need to best prepare and inform school counselors on how to implement these practices in rural settings. This session will provide a review of research on the experiences and issues faced by rural school counselors seeking to implement anti-racist practices, effective practices, and implications for school counselors.
Curated Fireside Chat
Lead Presenter: Michael McGill
Description: Coming Soon
Data Superpowers: Unleash SCUTA for Dynamic School Counseling and Advocacy
Lead Presenter: TBD
Description: Discover the power of leveraging data with the SCUTA (School Counselor Use of Time Analysis) tool to build your school counseling program and drive data-informed decisions that directly affect your state report card. Learn to collect, analyze and interpret data using SCUTA to identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth within your school counseling program. Through real-world examples and case studies, explore how this data enables you to align your school counseling activities with state standards and educational goals, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for students.
Is College the ONLY Ticket to a STEM Career?
Lead Presenter: Ashley Gastel
We have been telling students that they need a college degree to be successful. While we push students into college at a 70% clip, the economy tells us that 70% of careers in demand today do not require a college degree. The skills gap in this country is real and you need to understand the Rule of 1-2-7. Skilled trades are in demand and provide students with a great career that pays well. Come join Ashley Gastel to learn what those careers are and how you can reach more of your students. Learn what Gen Z students are looking for in a career. Discover ways to get more parent involvement. Learn how you can get industry more involved in your school. 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.
Mirrors & Windows: Fostering Cultural Responsiveness in Educators Through Diverse Children’s Books
Lead Presenter: Jennifer Stimpson
Mirrors & Windows Book Club is an innovative approach to professional development that expands educators’ social awareness and cultural competence. Through carefully selected diverse children’s books, educators engage in discussions and reflections about race, ethnicity, immigration, and racism. Presenters will share implementation steps and results, and will also facilitate a brief book club experience for session participants.
Neuroplasticity: We Can Change Brains!
Lead Presenter: Ginger Healy
Ginger makes neuroscience fascinating and fun as she explores strategies that re-wire a child’s brain from chaos to calm. Ginger gives an experiential lesson on the hand- brain model that empowers children to manage their feelings and behaviors, moving them out of shame and into post-traumatic growth. This session will introduce participants to brain basics that are essential to understanding in order to shape educator response to behaviors.
Passport to Your Future: Cultivating Career and College Readiness
Lead Presenter: Christina Brown
Developing and implenting a multi-faceted career/college readiness curriculum is essential to a comprehensive school counseling program. In this presentation, attendees will learn about a variety of approaches to college/career readiness for students. Through these initiatives, students learn future ready skills, explore career/college options, and develop potential career pathways. Utilization of multiple methods and a well-rounded approach help counselors open the doors of opportunities!
Practical and Proactive Behavior Interventions
Lead Presenter: Shawna Griffin
This session will equip you with effective and practical behavior interventions, strategies, and techniques that work! Topics include: 16 Proactive Strategies, understanding why misbehavior happens and strategies to de-escalate in tense moments.
Racial Identity Perception Among Elementary Students of Color Using an Expressive Arts Activity
Lead Presenter: Taryne Mingo
The goal of this presentation is to discuss a study about racial identity development among elementary students of color discovered through an expressive arts activity. A secondary goal of the study is to share published findings from the study (Journal of Professional School Counseling), share expressive arts strategies/techniques, and explore how North Carolina school counselors perceived their own cultural consciousness development as a result of conducting the study in their schools as co-investigators.
Rethinking Family Engagement in Education: Advancing Equity
Lead Presenter: Patrick Cunningham
Students succeed when schools form collaborative relationships with families, and school counselors are uniquely positioned within schools to facilitate these partnerships. This session will challenge outdated and harmful narratives associated with parent involvement and explore modern approaches to family engagement in education, providing school counselors with an understanding of how to infuse these equity-focused perspectives into their critical role as a family engagement leader.
Supercharging School Counselors: Illuminating Exciting Tech Tools for Counselor Effectiveness
Lead Presenter: Julie Gilley
The school counselor’s time is valuable. This presentation spotlights cutting-edge technology solutions tailored to simplify and optimize counselors’ tasks. From scheduling platforms to the power of AI, participants will explore curated and tested tools to streamline counseling practices, ultimately leading to greater efficiency and effectiveness with students. Join us as we unlock the potential of technology to empower counselors with the tools that simplify everyday tasks!
Teamwork is the Dreamwork: Making Tier 1 MTSS and SEL Happen
Lead Presenter: Lisa Guyette
MTSS, SEL, Mindsets & Behaviors; how do we do it all and do it well? Through MTSS Tier 1 using community resilience skills such as self-regulation, mindfulness, self-awareness and self-advocacy. Sounding like CASEL and ASCA standards? Yup! It starts with creating a Tier 1 intervention that is coached and modeled by the school counselor with tracking and implementation by teachers and staff. The goals are to increase engagement, decrease disruptions, and, BONUS, work to address trauma too!
Technology Toolbox for School Counselors
Lead Presenter: Andrea Burston
Learn helpful technology tools such as Google Tools, online storage tools and online communication tools that will simplify and enhance your comprehensive school counseling program. For a more hands on approach, participants are encouraged to bring laptops, iPads, tablets and any other WiFi capable electronic devices to this exciting and interactive session.
The Girls Are Not Alright: What 17,502 Girls Say About Stress, Pressure, and School Connection
Lead Presenter: Lauren Morosky
This session will highlight the latest findings of the largest-of-its-kind national survey, The Girls’ I
ndexTM, which delves into the thoughts, behaviors, and perceptions of 17,000+ 5th-12th grade girls. This research sheds light on the unprecedented social, emotional, and personal challenges faced by today’s adolescent girls, including the impact of social media, stress culture and confidence issues on various aspects of their lives. This session will provide actionable insights.
TBD
Lead Presenter: Russ Sabella
Description: Coming Soon
A Large-Scale K-5 Career Fair! It’s Possible!
Lead Presenter: Rebeca Brown
Career readiness starts in Elementary! Leave with ideas on aligning Holland’s Career Types to create a large-scale K-5 career fair with family and community. Hear all about the inspiration, planning, execution, and reflection of the event including collaboration with administration, the creation of a team, and creating a standards-based SEL curriculum that led up to the day of the event. An elementary career fair can be fun as well as highlight diversity, with academic, social, and emotional excellence.
Changing “I’m Scared of High School” to “I Can’t Wait!!” An 8th/9th Grade Transition Program.
Lead Presenter: Adrian Hammonds
“Kleenex race-GOOOO!! Do you know what a GPA is? How many Math classes do you have to pass? Are you joining band or JROTC?” This session presents a fun and exciting two year program offering support for the transition from 8th to 9th grade. Research has confirmed the 9th grade year to be extremely difficult. A proven plan including students, teachers, and parents can increase success and lower anxiety (for students and parents!)
You will observe a full plan providing student meetings, rallies, mentors, transition events, and a summer academy – to name a few.
Directors Connect
Lead Presenter: Dr. Kisha Bryant
This session is for district school counselor leadership only. We will have a collaborative session to discuss successes and challenges happening in our North Carolina school districts and share best practices of how to address and/or navigate through to better leverage the work of school counselors.
Effectively Supporting Students’ Re-Entry and Re-Integration After Mental Health Crises
Lead Presenter: Patrick Cunningham
More than 5000 students have a suicide attempt every day, and more than two million required an emergency room visit due to suicidal crises last year alone. Upon return, they are at increased risk for further attempts, and their return, if handled poorly, could escalate the risk to other students. This session will provide a framework for re-entry and re-integration that includes concrete and specific strategies for school counselors.
Empowering Teams: The Art of School Counseling Department Development
Lead Presenter: Carmen Ramos
Join us for a presentation that delves into the essential strategies for developing a successful counseling team, regardless of the school’s size or structure. Drawing from our experiences as leads in both a small specialty high school and a large comprehensive high school, we offer insights and practical guidance on empowering yourself and others to create a cohesive and collaborative counseling department. Gain inspiration and practical strategies for building a flourishing counseling team!
Innovative Strategies to Motivate and Build Resilience in Every Student
Lead Presenter: Christian Moore
How do you help students bounce back from what they have been through? From trauma, isolation, and poverty, to mental health challenges, our students have faced many obstacles over the last three years. Come see a formula to help you guide students through the challenges that destroy motivation and make it difficult to find success.
Neuroplasticity: We Can Change Brains!
Lead Presenter: Ginger Healy
Ginger makes neuroscience fascinating and fun as she explores strategies that re-wire a child’s brain from chaos to calm. Ginger gives an experiential lesson on the hand- brain model that empowers children to manage their feelings and behaviors, moving them out of shame and into post-traumatic growth. This session will introduce participants to brain basics that are essential to understanding in order to shape educator response to behaviors.
Practical and Proactive Behavior Interventions
Lead Presenter: Shawna Griffin
This session will equip you with effective and practical behavior interventions, strategies, and techniques that work! Topics include: 16 Proactive Strategies, understanding why misbehavior happens and strategies to de-escalate in tense moments.
“RAMP” it Up!
Lead Presenter: Stephanie Nelson
This session will provide an overview of the process and organizational tips and tricks for staying on target during your data collection year for NC Diamond/RAMP distinction. Whether you are completing the process alone or are the delegated leader, you will learn ways for managing along with your normal duties. Please bring your laptops to apply your learning in this semi-working session that will allow you to leave organized and ready to get started on each component; templates in place and all.
Social Justice School Counseling Interventions
Lead Presenter: Clare Merlin-Knoblich
During the 2023-2024 academic year, 13 school counselors met monthly in the School Counseling Equity Fellowship, a year-long program exploring social justice school counseling practices through self-reflection, school reflection, and action projects. In this session, a panel of school counselors will present their social justice school counseling action projects. Come learn about innovative and impactful ways to improve student and faculty multicultural awareness and equity in schools.
Technology Toolbox for School Counselors
Lead Presenter: Andrea Burston
Learn helpful technology tools such as Google Tools, online storage tools and online communication tools that will simplify and enhance your comprehensive school counseling program. For a more hands on approach, participants are encouraged to bring laptops, iPads, tablets and any other WiFi capable electronic devices to this exciting and interactive session.
You Can Sit With Us: Social Inclusion for Students with Disabilities Using a UDL Framework
Lead Presenter: Jill Weidknecht Van Horne
203,000+ students are covered under the IDEA-NC. Loneliness and (social) exclusion are higher than peers due to traditional teaching styles. PSCs engage with all students when delivering lessons. Using different modalities such as narrative/ expressive arts interventions through a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lens can be a game-changer for all students. Participants will get practical tips for PSCs to engage all students in simple, but creative and dynamic ways, when delivering lessons.
TBD
Lead Presenter: Russ Sabella
Description: Coming Soon
Addressing Anxiety In the Classroom
Lead Presenter: Deanna Ford
Anxiety is a normal human experience that can interfere with academic performance and social relationships! Through a school-wide approach to address anxiety in the classroom, school counselors can support students who may have short-term stressors as well as students with diagnosed disorders. Bonus: Teachers also learn strategies to deal with their own stress and build relationships with students as they lead prevention lessons and support interventions!
Bridging Perspectives, Empowering Students: The Synergy of Administrator-Counselor Collaboration
Lead Presenter: Tanisha Dumas
Effective collaboration between school administrators and counselors is crucial for fostering a positive and supportive learning environment for students. This partnership bridges the gap between administrative focus on academic achievement and student well-being, which counselors prioritize. By working together, they can create a more holistic approach to education that empowers students to succeed.
Building Healthy Relationships to Support Trauma Sensitive Students
Lead Presenter: Marie Weller
This interactive session explores the impact of trauma on school-age children and offers practical strategies for creating trauma-sensitive classrooms. Learn how Harmony Academy’s focus on healthy relationships supports trauma-informed teaching. Practice everyday strategies, like Meet Up and Buddy Up, to create supportive, inclusive environments. Explore Harmony’s free online learning portal for lasting impact. Perfect for counselors and educators aiming to build safe, nurturing spaces for all students.
Check In Without Them Checking Out
Lead Presenter: Lori Wike
Check In/Check Out is a successful behavioral intervention with fidelity and structure in place. Students can be motivated to improve classroom behaviors if they have both a clear roadmap of the teacher’s expectations and incentives to work towards those behavior goals. Learn how these middle schools apply this classic behavior intervention to improve work completion, on-task behavior, and attendance. Attendees will leave with the confidence to apply these lessons in their school setting.
Cougar Scholars: An SEL and Mindfulness Test Anxiety Group
Lead Presenter: Yolanda Jarrett
Some students have a difficult time believing in their ability to perform academically. Often, this low self-efficacy results in bright students having difficulty reaching academic goals. School counselors can support students in developing stronger self-efficacy through mindfulness activities and peer interaction in small groups. Walk away with examples of mindful small group activities that may help strengthen student motivation and self-efficacy, specifically in a test anxiety small group.
Empowering Futures: School-Wide Collaborative Career Development Plans under NC Senate Bill 193
Lead Presenter: Amy Schroeder
Join us for an engaging session, where we delve into the vital nexus of North Carolina career development plans (CDPs) and Senate Bill 193. During this panel session, learn how Cumberland and Johnston County School Districts are implementing school-wide CDPs fostering a collaborative ecosystem among school counselors, administration, Career Development Coordinators (CDCs), and teachers.
Under the over-arching theme of SHINE: Supporting, Honoring, Inspiring, Networking, Empowering, we invite you to participate in dialogue aimed at enhancing student outcomes modeling collaboration!
Fun With Tier 1: Engagement Strategies for Whole Group Instruction
Lead Presenter: Danette Jewell
Looking for fresh activity ideas to incorporate into your Tier 1 lessons? New to whole-group instruction? Join us as we discuss and model a variety of ways to make your Tier 1 content engaging and memorable for elementary students. This session will be interactive and full of movement, music, and fun. You will leave with ideas and resources to take back to your school and use immediately!
Having it ALL Through Innovative Scheduling
Lead Presenter: Shari Manning Cook
In high school, small groups are nearly extinct. The East Chapel Hill High Counseling Department resurrected small groups for their students. They have found a way to offer a variety of targeted small group sessions throughout the year, without impacting instructional time. If you are willing to think outside the box and be innovative, your school can have it all too!
It’s the Data for Me: Shining the Light on Equity
Lead Presenter: Kinea Epps
Shine the light on principles that guide school counselors in advocating for equity, access, and success for all students. Explore strategies for fostering collaboration with educational partners to enhance cultural responsiveness within your building. Learn to leverage data-driven approaches within the National Model to enact systemic changes that promote achievement, positive behaviors, and improved attendance. Ultimately, this session will help you bridge the opportunity gap for every student.
Making Career Development Plan Compliance Easy
Lead Presenter: Chad Thompson
During this session participants will learn how Nash County Public Schools (NCPS) prepared their district to meet the North Carolina Career Development Plan Legislation for 2024-2025. NCPS will walk participants through the processes utilized to initiate a whole district rollout approach by introducing a Career and College platform during Spring 2024 that houses each student’s Career Development Plan. NCPS will also share ideas, timelines, and approaches used to ensure students are exposed to opportunities for creating robust Career Development Plans.
Navigating Free Resources: Empowering School Counselors in College Preparation
Lead Presenter: Camille Wilson
This presentation provides a review and demonstration of freely available resources to aid in college preparation for students and families. Our primary objective is to equip counselors with knowledge of various tools that can significantly lighten their workload and provide efficiency! SCOIR, Slate.org and more helps counselors schedule school visits by college representatives, helps families explore options, and even stay in the loop about an individual student’s college process! Learn more today!
Reflect, Restore, Resume: Self-Care Skills in Emotionally Intense Times
Lead Presenter: Buffy Weathington
Do you practice what you teach? As school counselors, we are ethically mandated to care for ourselves. Yet the skills that make us good at our work can open us up to burnout and compassion fatigue. This session will allow time for personal reflection and discussion with colleagues as we examine the warning signs and barriers to self-care. You will take home some specific reminders of simple strategies to help you restore yourself so you can continue the valuable work you do.
School Counselors, Social Workers, and Interpreters: Collaborating to Support Latinx Families
Lead Presenter: Stacey Diaz
The ASCA position statement tells us that school counselors have an essential and unique role in promoting, facilitating and advocating for collaboration with parents/guardians and community stakeholders. Join us to learn how school counselors, social workers, and interpreters in Cabarrus County collaborate for successful Latinx family engagement. You’ll walk out of our session with ideas, tools, and resources that you can take back to your school community.
“When I Grow Up”: Diving into Career Exploration in Elementary School
Lead Presenter: Devionne Dean
How do we intentionally approach career development at the elementary level? In this session, we are exploring several ways to enhance the cognizance of post-secondary options available to elementary students. This presentation will be guided with reference to the portrait of a graduate, CASEL SEL framework, and ASCA mindsets and behavior for student success. We will discuss a variety of classroom guidance lesson ideas, school-wide activities, and conclude with a career fair celebration.
Adults Need it Too! Helping School Counselors Encourage Adult SEL in Their School Community
Lead Presenter: Dejanell Mittman
This session will explore the vital role of school counselors in encouraging Adult SEL in their school. Understanding the great impact of SEL on equity, climate, and culture, this session will delve into the significance of Adult SEL and offer practical strategies, resources, and insights (via best practices, research, and interactive discussions) tailored to equip counselors with the necessary tools in their role as advocates for Adult SEL within their school community.
Bridge to Success: Students from Alternative to Traditional Setting
Lead Presenter: Mari-inetta Pavlic
When students move from the traditional to the alternative setting, who is responsible for serving them? Learn how one rural school district bridges the gap between these two learning environments through the use of counselor interventions. Learn tips for coordinating between staff, maintaining relationships with students, setting goals for returning to the home school, and helping these students transition to the next level.
Celebrating NC Countdown to College Year-Round
Lead Presenter: Amy Denton
You’ve likely just finished up with NC Countdown to College (C2C) and College Application Week (CAW) activities, and are thinking about the next activity on your calendar. Students are thinking about financial aid and looking on to Decision Day in May. C2C isn’t just a month, it’s a year-long mindset as students prepare for the next step after high school. Session attendees will hear about ways other states are incorporating college application campaigns into the entire school year, ways to celebrate accomplishments, and bring grades 9-11 into all of the fun.
Emotional Regulation: Practical Implementation for Counselors and Classrooms
Lead Presenter: Karen Evans
School counselors are very familiar with how emotional regulation and dysregulation impacts student learning in addition to peer relationships. Students often find themselves in our offices seeking regulation support. This session explores the brain science behind emotional regulation and the practical implementation of tools to support emotional regulation in schools and classrooms.
Empowering Student Voices: How to Create LEADership Roles for Student Success
Lead Presenter: Amanda Moser
This presentation seeks to equip school counselors with the knowledge and tools necessary to create, implement, and sustain effective leadership roles for students within the school environment. By providing practical insights and actionable strategies, we can aim to empower schools to cultivate a culture of student leadership that enhances academic achievement, personal development, and community engagement.
NCDPI Legislative Updates and North Carolina Healthy Schools Hot Topics
Lead Presenter: Kisha Bryant
Come learn about the latest updates impacting and connecting to the work of school counselors from the state level and how to be prepared to address the issues within your school and district!
Socially Exceptional: When SEL and Social Studies Intersect
Lead Presenter: Jennifer Stimpson
Maximize the impact of your school counseling program by integrating social studies into social/emotional learning. By focusing on the CASEL SEL competencies of Self-Awareness and Social Awareness, school counselors can also foster cultural and global awareness through incorporating key figures and events relevant to social studies standards. Learn how to capitalize on the overlap between social studies and SEL through school-wide events, classroom lessons, and grade level activities.
Step Up to the Plate: Preparing High School Student-Athletes for Collegiate Athletics
Lead Presenter: Jessica OBerto
The transition to college is a challenging process for all students. But, for student-athletes, this process is much more complex due to the academic, social, and athletic demands of attending college with an athletic scholarship. School Counselors can meet the needs of this population through collaboration with students, coaches, and parents as well as incorporating direct services for athletes into their school counseling program. Participants will gain skills to better serve this population.
Supporting Effective School-Based Mental Health Services: An Implementation Guide
Lead Presenter: Jeffrey Warren
Access and utilization of mental health services by school-aged children vary greatly. School-based mental health (SBMH) complements comprehensive school counseling and provides access to treatment students may not otherwise receive. School counselors are well positioned to support the implementation of effective SBMH programming. This presentation provides an overview of an implementation science framework and case examples that detail the school counselor’s interactive role in this work.
Teachers’ Guide to Emotional Regulation and Mental Health Support for Students
Lead Presenter: Brittiny Vanterpool
The presenters offer this interactive session to provide school counselors with resources for facilitating a professional development session and support to teachers in their building. Attendees will leave the session with a how-to guide for creating a classroom environment that welcomes space for emotional regulation. Alesia will use her teaching experience to provide context on the feasibility of implementation. Brittiny will review the behavior and symptom overlap between ADHD, Anxiety, and PTSD in school-aged youth.
The Nuts and Bolts of School Counselor National Board Certification
Lead Presenter: Kristen Litchfield
Go into the National Board process with clarity and confidence. Attendees will learn about the “big picture” for each of the four components as well as the key details that need to be addressed. You will be guided through components 1 through 4 with resources to help you plan for successful submission.
Understanding and Responding to Falsehoods from Students
Lead Presenter: Russell Gentry
Educators often fall into a trap of seeing children’s lies as barriers, and it is discouraging when a student is blatantly false in counseling. Students’ lies may feel like obstacles at best or even betrayals after we worked to earn their trust; however, the motivations for student lying reveal important clues about how to proceed in our work as school counselors. Therefore, if we develop tools to understand and respond to lying behaviors, we can turn this stumbling block into a path to success.
National Center for Youth Issues
ATTN: NCSCA
P.O. Box 22185
Chattanooga, TN 37422-2185
