Heather has been in education for 22 years, with sixteen of that time spent as a school counselor. Her current role is serving as the District MTSS Coordinator for the third largest district in Kentucky, Boone County Schools. She has previously served as the Kentucky Department of Education’s Coordinator for Comprehensive School Counseling also. As the 2024 Past-President of the Kentucky School Counselor Association, she advocates for school counseling around the state and nation. She was also honored to have been named the 2022 Kentucky School Counselor of the Year. Heather has presented nationally for conferences in Georgia, Nevada, Florida, California, Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas on topics including building MTSS at the school and district level, SEL Implementation within MTSS, Trauma-informed practices, building a comprehensive school counseling program, and college and career readiness.
Comprehensive school counseling is a true show every day for school counselors. How do we balance all three domains (SEL, academic, and CCR) while also ensuring students receive MTSS for tiers 1, 2 and 3? This session will show how to become the ringmaster of your counseling program by interweaving and balancing all three domains for direct services including large and small group, and individual counseling. Indirect service options will also be modeled on how school counselors can advocate for their students within each domain. The ASCA documents will be referenced to help school counselors at all levels (K-12) to proactively plan and be data-driven for their MTSS for tiers 1, 2 and 3 as part of their larger school and districtwide plan. All evidence-based strategies and tools will be easy to implement as school counselors return to their settings, so bring your popcorn to enjoy how to effectively implement the greatest show on earth!
For school-based mental health providers including school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers.
This session will provide attendees with how to proactively plan their direct and indirect services within each tier of MTSS. A model will be shown of how to use a variety of data along with the ASCA comprehensive school counseling best practices to ensure MTSS is being built for tiered services, family engagement, teaming structures, and data-driven problem solving. Involving all stakeholders will also be modeled of how to wraparound students and staff using each school-based mental health provider and their role within MTSS.
Data is all around us and it can be confusing how to plan services for students without being overwhelmed. This session will help attendees walk through a data-informed protocol that includes, picking a data point to focus on, supplemental data to consider, stakeholder engagement, develop a SMART goal, determine which tiered service to provide, and next steps as implementation takes place. This protocol combines the ASCA Student Outcome Goal with MTSS to ensure school counselors are truly providing data-informed problem solving to build their comprehensive programs.
Students are filling classrooms daily with an increase in unexpected behaviors as educators struggle to manage and intervene effectively. School counselors can create systemic change by becoming experts in proactively intervening with unexpected behaviors. Learn to create an easy-to-implement, individualized behavior toolbox aligned with the ASCA Student Standards, which includes functions of behavior, SEL skills and evidence-based interventions for student success at all MTSS tiers. Samples of data-tracking tools will also be shown for progress monitoring.
Students are struggling now more than ever to cope with different types of problems and situations that arise. Effective coping skills are vital to ensure students can thrive. Examine ways to help students become aware of their own emotions. Learn about research-based and student-driven strategies for emotional regulation for Tiers 1 and 2, including data-informed practices to identify and track progress of student success.
Let’s break down the silos of behavior, SEL, attendance, and mental health to build a cohesive MTSS Social-Emotional/Behavior implementation! Attendees will learn how to interconnect each of these initiatives to work smarter, not harder ensuring student needs are at the forefront of proactive problem solving. Supporting staff and families throughout this process will also be shown to ensure stakeholders have meaningful collaboration. Samples of data will be shown as well as role playing a sample meeting so attendees have all the tools needed to implement these initiatives at the school or district-level.
How do you determine which interventions to implement within your setting? This session will show school leaders how to build a SEB system for MTSS using proactive tier 1 strategies that will proactively help problem-solve for tiers 2 and 3. We will analyze fidelity and effectiveness including data-driven decision making, intervention matching, progress monitoring, delivering services, creating individual behavior plans, etc. Evidence-based practices and implementation will be modeled, including time for collaborative problem-solving.
Students’ unexpected behaviors are increasing as educators struggle to manage and intervene effectively. School counselors can create systemic change by becoming experts in proactively intervening with unexpected behaviors to consult and collaborate with teachers, administrators, and families. Learn to create an easy-to-implement, individualized behavior approach aligned with ASCA Student Mindsets & Behaviors that include functions of behavior, SEL skills and evidence-based interventions for student success, at all MTSS tiers. Using case studies, practice matching evidence-based interventions to student needs and behaviors, engaging all stakeholders. Also view samples of data-tracking tools for progress monitoring.
Elementary school counselors often struggle to implement college and career readiness effectively within a comprehensive school counseling program. Create a spark with students by implementing engaging, evidence-based activities aligned with the ASCA Student Standards. Use the classroom and groups Mindsets & Behaviors action plan to developmentally implement activities using a variety of resources, such as books, videos, role playing and project-based learning. Discover ways to collaborate with community and business partners.
