Dr. Natalie Spencer Gwyn is an Assistant Professor at North Carolina A&T State University. She was previously a high school counselor and student assistance counselor (SAP) for many years before moving into higher education. She received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She later earned a doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from North Carolina State University. Dr. Spencer is the author of Mindful Practices for Helping Troubled Teens and the co-author of 15-Minute Focus: Diversity, Bias, and Privilege: Addressing Racial Inequities to Create Inclusive Learning Environments. She is also a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of North Carolina, and owns her own private practice, Natalie Spencer Counseling and Consulting. Dr. Spencer Gwyn has presented her research on the local, state, and national level.
We’ve all heard these terms before: Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Trauma Informed Practices and Equity. Too often school counselors, teachers, and administrators focus on one factor that can impact a child’s learning and not the intersections of all three. Many children attending schools today (virtual and in person) experience traumas that impact their ability to identify, effectively express, and manage emotions. In addition, the impact of race and cultural diversity can further impact a child’s overall coping strategies when experiencing adverse situations. SEL, trauma informed practices and equity intersect in a powerful way and we can no longer ignore the impact on education and children.
In this session, attendees will learn practical interventions that can be implemented to build SEL competencies along with an emphasis on equity and trauma informed practices.
School counselors often encounter students with a variety of behavioral and mental health concerns throughout a day. Mindfulness and mindful interventions have been shown to help students by introducing a variety of skills, such as guided imagery, mindful breathing, and gentle yoga. This presentation is designed to give school counselors tools to implement mindful techniques and help empower students discover their true potential. It will be an exciting and hands on presentation that will introduce counselors to mindfulness techniques and strategies to help all students succeed.
Counselors often find themselves in situations where they seek interventions to best meet the needs of children and adolescents. When assisting children and adolescents, feelings and behaviors can change very quickly and many children and teens are already equipped to solve minor and routine behavioral problems. Solution Focused Brief Counseling ( SFBC) has proven to be a great tool for anxious children and teens as they learn to manage challenges at school and home. This interactive presentation will introduce creative and effective SFBC techniques counselors can use in both individual and group counseling, with an emphasis on helping anxious children and teens.
Attendees will gain a better understanding of emphasizing solutions instead of problems, learn the 12 basic assumptions of SFBC, discover strategies to implement SFBC in small and individual group counseling, and develop techniques to help anxious children with developmentally appropriate techniques.
