Dr. Melissa Reeves, Ph.D., NCSP, LCMHC is Past-President of the National Association of School Psychologists, a nationally certified school psychologist, licensed clinical mental health counselor, and licensed special education teacher. Most recently she was an Associate Professor at Winthrop University, and has over 20-years’ experience working in public schools, a private school, and day and residential treatment programs.
Dr. Reeves is the author and co-author of many books, including two in the 15-Minute Focus series: Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences and Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management for K-12 Schools. She co-authored the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention curriculum, and is the former Chair of the NASP School Safety and Crisis Response Committee which provides consultation and support to school districts across the country after large scale crisis events including school shootings and natural disasters. She was a founding member of the Colorado Society of School Psychologists State-Wide Crisis Response Team, which trained school districts across Colorado in crisis response and was also a crisis responder to support students after Columbine. She travels both nationally and internationally training professionals in the areas of crisis prevention through recovery, threat and suicide assessment, the impact of trauma and PTSD on academic achievement, and cognitive behavior therapy in the school setting. She has conducted more than 200 workshops and presentations, works with schools on establishing a positive and safe school climate, and has also provided consultation and staff development to professionals in the United States Department of Defense Educational Activity Schools located on various military installations.
This workshop is designed to enhance participants’ existing knowledge base about trauma, grief, loss, and mourning. Participants will increase their levels of comfort in dealing with trauma and grief, better understand the differences between normal and complicated grieving, and learn intervention strategies to address both. Participants will achieve a better understanding of factors that influence grief and mourning, and develop specialized skills for helping children and adolescents cope more successfully with these intensely felt emotions.
This workshop will discuss current statistics and legal cases, early identification of warning signs, primary prevention strategies to break the code of silence, an overview of suicide assessment models and procedures, and strategies for intervention and postvention activities, including those to prevent contagion. Emphasis will also be placed on school-based response and intervention on behalf of students who engage in non-suicidal, self-injurious (NSSI) behavior.
This workshop will focus on the process and procedures needed to establish a consistent school/district-wide
approach to threat and suicide risk assessment utilizing a multidisciplinary team. Critical factors discussed
will include: current statistics, legal cases, post-incident reviews, and early identification of warning signs, primary prevention strategies to “break the code of silence; an overview of threat and risk assessment models and tools; assessment procedures; and strategies for interventions, postventions, and working with difficult parents. Case study examples and forms will be shared to illustrate the process.
Participants will learn:
