Thursday, October 12, 2023 | 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 will receive a COMPLIMENTARY BOOKSTORE VOUCHER to be used to shop at the on-site NCYI Resource Fair.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools
Julia Cook, M.S. is a national award-winning children’s author, counselor, and parenting expert. She has presented in thousands of schools nationally and internationally, regularly speaks at education and counseling conferences, and has published almost one hundred children’s books on a wide range of character and social development topics. The goal behind Cook’s work is to actively involve young people in fun, memorable stories and teach them to become lifelong problem solvers. Inspiration for her books comes from working with children and carefully listening to counselors, parents, and teachers, in order to stay on top of needs in the classroom and at home. Cook has the innate ability to enter the worldview of a child through storybooks, giving children both the “what to say” and the “how to say it.”
Are you a Friday school counselor or a Monday school counselor? Friday school counselors can’t wait to get out of the building at the end of the week, while Monday school counselors can’t wait to get back to school after the weekend.
Joy may be one of the biggest differentiating factors.
The demands on school counselors often feels overwhelming. Each day we are confronted with behavioral issues, inequity, suicidal ideation, and diversity challenges…and that’s on top of working with students on future career options and post-secondary education, and keeping track of all the data and documentation. Meanwhile, student mental health issues are on the rise. It can be an easy recipe for discouragement and overload.
When the school counseling tidal wave begins to swell, how do you stand strong and continue to pour out the
encouragement, wisdom, and support your students need?
In this heartfelt, engaging talk, Julia Cook shares what it’s taken her years to figure out. Happiness is momentary, but Joy is a constant state of contentment that is not shifted by the chaos around us. Through stories and practical steps, Julia teaches us how to shift our thinking and actions so that we can:
Joy is the gift that keeps on giving…to you and everyone around you. In this special talk from Julia, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry… and you’ll leave with a plan for growing in joy, finding fresh meaning in your work, and supporting those who need you most.
In Julia’s presentation, Unlearning Helplessness: Motivating the Underachiever, she shares how underachieving occurs when students have a significant gap between their abilities, and what they achieve in school. In this interactive session, she will discuss the four types of underachievers, explore the characteristics and causes of underachieving, and present effective solutions that can reverse this problem.
Books That Make a Positive Difference
Julia Cook
Room: Cypress
In Julia’s presentation, Books That Make a Positive Difference, she leads an entertaining discussion on the use of storybooks to offer children and adults a fun way to learn important people skills. Teach your students to become lifelong problem solvers! Julia will demonstrate humorous and effective ways to use books on such subjects as anger control, grief, following instructions, tattling, bullying, personal space, interrupting, and personal safety. The writing and publishing process will also be explained – learn to become a published author!
Introduction to Supporting Those At-Risk
Meghan Goldbeck
Room: Exhibit Hall B
Megan Goldbeck will share a presentation that provides introductory information on how to support someone with lived experience. Participants who are interested in learning the basics of supporting someone with lived experience will learn what research tells us about suicide and understand the process of recovery and the complex effects that a suicidal crisis can have on a family or support system. Participants will learn strategies for helping to support someone with lived experience, as well as relevant resources.
Meghan Goldbeck is the Executive Director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Louisiana and Mississippi Chapters. Meghan has had a career in the nonprofit sector for over a decade and is a strong advocate for mental health and suicide prevention in her community. She received a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and is currently working on obtaining a master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration from Louisiana State University Shreveport. She is certified in Mental Health First Aid and safeTALK. Meghan lives in suburban New Orleans with her husband and three rescue dogs, Indiana, Reese, and Archie.
Talk Saves Lives
Dr. Kevin Yaudes
Room: Exhibit Hall A
Dr. Kevin Yaudes provides participants with a clear understanding of this leading cause of death, including the most up-to-date research on suicide prevention, and what they can do in their communities to save lives. Participants will learn common risk factors and warning signs associated with suicide, and how to keep themselves and others safe.
Dr. Kevin Yaudes has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and a doctorate in Cognitive Science. He teaches psychology at the undergraduate level and counseling at the graduate level at McNeese State University. As the Assistant Department Head for the Department of Psychology & Counseling, he has clinical responsibility for the Applied Behavioral Analysis and Counseling programs within the department. He is directly responsibility for the Kay Doré Counseling Clinic (KDCC) at McNeese which is a community counseling clinic with the Department. The clinic provides counseling services to individuals in Southwest Louisiana (SWLA) and serves as a placement site for students in the counseling program at McNeese. KDCC has an established collaboration with Sam Houston High School (SHHS) in Moss Bluff, Louisiana and because of this he came to see the need for a consistent and sustained effort to address suicide in SWLA. He created a Suicide Prevention and Education Program within KDCC and through this KDCC provides services and support to SHHS, conducts professional and educational presentations regarding suicide, has trained all K-12 educators on QPR (an evidence-based suicide prevention training), and conducts research on the topic of suicide. To date, KDCC has trained over 4000 people in SWLA on QPR. Dr. Yaudes is the current Mental Health Content Expert for the University of Louisiana System and through this has created a Mental Health Advisory Council consisting of two individuals from each of the System’s 9 member universities. Each university will also establish a Mental Health Advisory Council on their campus. This is being piloted at McNeese. He serves on the boards of a number of local behavioral health clinics, serves on the state board for the America Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and is a member of two suicide prevention coalitions. Dr. Yaudes has chaired the Lake Charles Out of the Darkness Walk for AFSP for the past four years and believes that addressing suicide prevention is a way to identify the challenges and needs of local, state, and national mental health systems in general.
Age-Related Trends in Grief Among Students: Supporting Students through the Grieving Process
Brooke Ferguson
Room: Audobon
Brooke Ferguson will present a research-based talk aimed at school counselors. The presentation delves into the unique experiences of students from different age groups as they cope with grief and loss. The overarching goal of this presentation is to equip school counselors with research-based knowledge and practical tools to better understand and support students as they navigate grief and loss, creating a compassionate and empathetic school environment that fosters healing and well-being.
Meet Brooke Ferguson, an experienced Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) based in Louisiana. With a solid educational foundation including a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Social Work, she brings a practical blend of knowledge and real-world practice.
Having traversed the landscape of both outpatient and inpatient settings, Ms. Ferguson’s aptitude includes an array of invaluable services, encompassing the realms of psychotherapy, crisis intervention, and the profound modality of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Her proficiency extends to orchestrating transformative encounters within groups, couples, family and individual sessions, nurturing the soil for restoration and personal advancement.
Currently a therapist at the esteemed Family and Youth Counseling Agency, Brooke Ferguson consistently demonstrates her dedicated commitment to driving positive change. With an emphasis on research-based insights drawn from practical experience, her conference presentation will illuminate the intricacies of mental health dynamics related to age-based trends in grief.
Tentative
More details to follow
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 Julia Cook presenting Joy: It’s an Inside Job
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 Julia Cook presenting Unlearning Helplessness: Motivating the Underachiever
Exhibit Hall C
2:35 pm – 3:30 pm
Shop the Resource Fair and Networking
Front Lobby
We have many great breakout sessions that we will be offering at the conference! Look through the list below and choose the ones you would like to pre-register to attend. Please note that space in each session is limited.
The Importance of Relationships: Connecting with Hard-to-Reach Students
Lead Presenter: Ginger Healy
Ginger discusses attachment- what it is, how it’s developed, and why it’s important for academic success. She explores buffer relationships and attunement to student needs. She digs into teacher triggers and how to look at behaviors that get under our skin. Ginger will offer strategies for removing barriers that block academic success and emotional healing. Participants will make a paradigm shift in understanding behaviors and be able to implement strategies to help children reach academic success and get on the path to healing adversities.
Let’s Move: Chair Yoga
Lead Presenter: PGCPS Benefits Office
Through guided instructions, participants will be able to strengthen their muscles with seated exercise to help build healthier muscles and bones, improves posture, and relieve back pain. Chair yoga can also improve flexibility and balance. By incorporating chair exercises into your routine helps stretch your muscles to achieve their full range of motion.
Managing Explosive Behaviors in the Classroom
Lead Presenter: Dr. Jeff Bostic
This presentation will review types of explosive outbursts and matching responses to different types of explosive outbursts. In addition, the stages of outbursts are described, with interventions to help deescalate students provided at each stage.
Understanding and Managing Disruptive Behaviors in Schools
Lead Presenter: Raychelle Cassada Lohmann
Nationwide schools are experiencing a rise in disruptive student behaviors. Behavioral issues can adversely impact the school environment leading to more peer-to-peer conflict, classroom disruptions, and even staff exhaustion. Educators know firsthand the amount of time spent on disciplining and redirecting challenging behaviors. In this interactive session, you will learn how to accurately assess and interpret challenging behaviors and effectively identify the antecedents for disruptive outbursts. Additionally, you will learn evidence-based coping skills to help your students manage their emotions and control their behavior, leading to more favorable outcomes. This session will help equip you with the essential knowledge to help your students minimize challenging behaviors and maximize academic, emotional, and social success.
All conference activities, including lunch, the training sessions, showcase voucher, and parking are FREE OF CHARGE. Please register below to attend and to receive a Resource Fair coupon (note the deadline).
Registration deadline:
Please Note: If we are forced to cancel the Summit because of a “force majeure” event, such as a government restriction on large gatherings that cover the intended size of the conference, then we will issue full refunds of the registrations. On social distancing and other health and safety measures, the regulations/guidelines that apply to large gathering centers may change. We will conform to all necessary regulations/guidelines that are in place as of the date of the Summit.
All School Counselors, Social Workers, and School Psychologists who register by August 15th receive a COMPLIMENTARY COUPON 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.
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
866.318.6294
National Center for Youth Issues
P.O. Box 22185
Chattanooga, TN 37422-2185
The Attendee will receive an email confirmation to the email address provided when their registration is processed. (Make sure to check Junk/Spam folders.)
Make all checks and purchase orders payable to:
National Center for Youth Issues
