Melisa Marsh, Ph.D. currently serves as an Assistant Principal at Piney Grove Middle School. She has over two decades in education, having served in roles of a Georgia State High School Counselor and Department Chair, Supervisor of Counseling/Advisement/Crisis Response, and School Counseling and Advisement Consultant.
Melisa received her Ph.D. in Counseling Education and Personnel Services and her Specialist Degree in School Counseling from the University of Georgia. She received her Advanced Masters in School Counseling Program from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
She is a national level speaker/consultant, and is also the author of two books in the 15-Minute Focus Series: Suicide: Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention and Depression: Signs and Strategies for Counselors, Educators, and Parents, along with her latest workbook titled Stress and Burnout in Education.
Melisa lives in the Atlanta Metro area with her husband and puppies. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, yoga, cycling, running, hiking, and spending as much time outdoors as possible.
Do you feel like your students and staff are stressed more than ever? Are you constantly worried about their coping skills and mental health? Participants will learn a variety of stress reducing techniques that can be implemented with students and staff. The program can be suited to elementary, middle, or high school counselors (or a combination of all) and participants will not only learn the strategies but will be doing them alongside Melisa as she teaches how to implement them. Get ready for this hands-on, experiential program that will help your staff and students have a toolbox of stress reducing techniques at their fingertips.
While depression is a common problem in the world today, it often goes unreported and untreated. Many of our
students believe they are dealing with this disease alone and in isolation. In this training, participants will be offered tools for intervention so that no student has to struggle alone. We will cover topics such as:
Do you know what to say to someone with thoughts of suicide? When suicidal individuals leave your office, do you feel confident they will get the help and support they need? Walk away with tools you can use to keep individuals safe when they express suicidal ideation. Learn how to use these tools with your individuals who express suicidal ideation so you can feel more confident each time that you have these challenging conversations.
Have you always wanted a comprehensive school counseling model. Are you unsure where to start? Or does it just sounds completely overwhelming with all of the other “duties as assigned?” If so, then this is the workshop for you. In this hands-on workshop, you will not only learn the components of a comprehensive model, but you will also learn how to implement one in a tiered and manageable process. You will receive time to review your own school counseling program so that you actually know where to start, and how to implement a comprehensive model.
School culture impacts every aspect of the learning environment for students and for staff. While addressing a school’s culture can be challenging, it is critical for implementing systemic change. This presentation will share a variety of strategies to address school culture through the lens of self-awareness, inclusivity, and intentionally creating a safe environment for all students and staff.
Exploring culture can be an uncomfortable conversation for many individuals. However, this true exploration is needed in order to create a safe place for all students and staff. In this training, participants will:
Where do you learn to advocate? It seems natural to advocate for our students, but what about advocating for our department and our counseling program? In this session you will learn best practices for advocating with your school and district administrators to best support your school counseling program and therefore best supporting your students.
Most of us do not enjoy having critical conversations with our staff. However, these conversations are necessary to ensure that teams are operating and functioning to their highest potential. This is not only true in business, but it is also true in education. In this session, participants will learn tips and tricks for giving and receiving feedback, and a specific method for leading a critical conversation.
