Thursday, October 29, 2025 | 7:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
West Cal Event Center
School Counselors from Calcasieu Parish are invited to attend a day of training and inspiration with various speakers. You can also visit with area youth service agencies and sponsors, who will display information on their available services. Come be refreshed and invigorated to continue the work you are doing. For the full schedule see below.
Also, all School Counselors who register by October 1st, 2025 will receive a COMPLIMENTARY BOOKSTORE VOUCHER to be used to shop at the on-site NCYI Resource Fair.
Born and raised in Houston, TX, Ashley Wright has been an educator since 2008. She graduated from Sam Houston State University and currently serves as a certified school counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Her experience as an elementary classroom teacher helped her realize students were having endless challenges dealing with home, school, and peers. Inspired to serve more students, she became a school counselor, connecting with them both at school and in the community. This role allowed her to provide broader social-emotional support, equipping students with tools to build resilience and stronger relationships.
Ashley’s commitment to fostering inclusive and comprehensive educational programs has made a significant impact on countless students, families, and educators at the national level. Her exemplary efforts were recognized when she was honored as a 2022 American School Counselor of the Year Finalist and the 2021 Texas School Counselor of the Year. She is also the author of Passion, Purpose, and Position: Reignite Your Passion, Deepen Your Calling, and Lead Positive Change and 30-Minute Groups: Navigating Family Dynamics. In addition to school counseling, Ashley serves as a national speaker and advocate of the profession to teach students and educators to embrace diversity, increase self-esteem, build character, and maintain resilience. It is her divine belief that “Every human being has the unlimited potential to make positive change in one’s life.”
Ashley will also be presenting 2 breakout sessions.
Tired? Burned out? Overwhelmed? Let’s Review, Reflect, and Reform! These powerful three words can influence you as a leader and create positive change within yourself and your school setting. It starts with you! As a leader, you need to know your worth and what’s at stake! When you use the power within yourself that you truly possess to lead and make new change, you can push through any type of adversity. Come and be rejuvenated, as this session will help empower you to move forward with a clear mind and vision for your campus.
Are you an educator feeling stuck in a rut? Do you yearn for a sense of purpose in your work? “Passion. Purpose. Position” – a call to action for educators to unleash their unique gifts and transform their communities. Join Ashley for an inspiring keynote session where you’ll discover how to harness your passion, find your purpose, and position yourself as a change agent in education.
When you identify your strengths and align them with your goals, you’ll truly discover the impact you can have in your school and beyond, and leave a legacy with every individual you encounter. Become transformed and motivated to make a difference in the lives of your students, staff, and community.
In a world where communication is key, it is important that we not only create relationships, but work to maintain positive relationships when challenges occur. Conversations can be difficult whether it’s addressing behavior issues with a student or navigating disagreements with colleagues and stakeholders. These conversations can be uncomfortable and even tense, but avoiding them only leads to bigger problems. We will explore strategies to approach difficult conversations with empathy and openness, and techniques to maintain healthy relationships even in challenging situations. These practical tools and real-life examples, will leave you feeling empowered to tackle any conversation with confidence, and build stronger connections with those around you.
In today’s ever-changing and challenging world, resilience is a key ingredient for success, especially in academic and social settings. As school counselors, we have a responsibility to foster resilience in our students, and be intentional with measuring their success with the tools/strategies we provide. It is important that your counseling lessons are designed to collaborate with students, staff, and parents. Discover how data-driven strategies can positively impact all students, closing achievement gaps and creating resilient learners who excel academically and socially. This session will equip you with practical tools and techniques to integrate resilience-building activities into your counseling sessions and empower your students to overcome adversity.
Kristen Cassidy MA, LPC-S, NCC, earned an MA degree in counseling psychology from McNees State University in 2010. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor and a National Certified Counselor in private practice in Jenning, LA. Before starting private practice in 2014, Kristen worked for Family and Youth Counseling Agency to provide counseling to survivors of sexual abuse and their families. She works with juvenile status offenders and their families as the FINS (Families in Need of Services) officer for the 31st Judicial District Court in Jefferson Davis Parish. In 2020, Kristen completed training as a Trust-Based Relational Intervention Practitioner (TBRI) and works largely with victims and survivors of trauma.
Many children with behavior problems may have a history of trauma; trauma greatly affects brain development, which is directly related to a child’s ability to control their behaviors and regulate their emotions. “Traditional” discipline methods often do not work effectively with these children. This presentation will explore the variety of ways that trauma can impact the individual, their family, the community, and service providers. The presenter will discuss ways educators can address behavior problems that stem from trauma.
Scott Riviere, MS, LPC, LMFT, RPT-S is a Licensed Professional Counselor and one of the first Registered Play Therapist-Supervisors in Louisiana. He is the Director of K.I.D.Z., Inc., Louisiana’s first Play Therapy Institute, where he specializes exclusively in working with children, adolescents, and their families.
With over 30 years of clinical experience, Mr. Riviere has worked across a variety of mental health settings and holds extensive training in Play Therapy. He has served on numerous committees for the Association for Play Therapy and is a former member of its Board of Directors.
A published author and creator of several therapeutic tools for mental health professionals, Mr. Riviere is also a frequent guest on media outlets and the producer of the Positive Parenting video series. He is a sought-after speaker at national and state conferences and is approved to supervise clinicians pursuing state licensure or the Registered Play Therapist credential.
Group Play is an excellent means to help children and Teens discover their strengths, learn new skills, and improve interpersonal relationships. The person can discover that peers have struggles too, which can diminish the barrier of feeling all alone as well as make connections with others that can improve their overall well-being. Participants will discover the power of Group Play Therapy and learn several practical techniques that they can implement immediately!
Tentative
7:45 am – 8:15 am
Sign-in, visit Sponsors, and shop the Resource Fair
Front Lobby
8:15 am – 10:00 am
Welcome and Opening Session
Keynote Speaker Ashley Wright presenting Review, Reflect, Reform
Exhibit Hall C
10:00 am – 10:15 am
Transition Break
10:15 am – 11:15 am
Breakout Session 1
11:15 am – 12:20 pm
Lunch, visit Sponsors, and shop the Resource Fair
Main Conference Room
12:20 pm – 1:20 pm
Breakout Session 2
1:20 pm – 1:35 pm
Transition Break
1:35 pm – 2:35 pm
Closing Session
Keynote Speaker Ashley Wright presenting Passion, Purpose, Position
Exhibit Hall C
2:35 pm – 3:30 pm
Shop the Resource Fair and Networking
Front Lobby
All Conference activities, including lunch, the training sessions, Resource Fair voucher, and parking are FREE OF CHARGE, compliments of community donors. Please register below to attend and to receive a Resource Fair voucher (please note deadlines below).
Registration deadline:
Each counselor will receive a COMPLIMENTARY VOUCHER to shop the NCYI Resource Fair at the conference!
This is an opportunity for you to personally review and purchase curriculum, activity and small group manuals, books, videos, DVDs and CDs. NCYI has the newest and best guidance resource materials available from America’s foremost publishers in Classroom Guidance, Character Education, Bullying Prevention / Intervention, Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, Separation Issues, Grief Recovery, Learning Disabilities and Social Skills Training.
Save on shipping and handling – You can save 5% to 8% by purchasing from the on-site display and taking the resources with you, which eliminates shipping and handling charges! On-site discounts will also be offered.
Specialty savings on overstock items – Save 50% or more off the retail price of a unique selection of overstock items.
NCYI accepts all major credit cards, personal checks, purchase orders, and even cash for additional purchases! If you have building level funds available, you can use a school purchase order.
Registration deadline is October 1, 2025!
National Center for Youth Issues, or NCYI, is a national non-profit organization that publishes and distributes guidance resource materials for schools. In addition to publishing its own publications, NCYI represents over 40 different publishers of educational resources. They also provide training opportunities for educators through on-site training services, as well as regional and state-wide conferences.
866.318.6294
National Center for Youth Issues
P.O. Box 22185
Chattanooga, TN 37422-2185
