Mental Health Issues in the Classroom: Practical Strategies for Helping Children and Adolescents Succeed

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Cheryl Catron, M.Ed., LPCC-S, RPT-S Related seminars and products

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Cheryl Catron, LPCC-S, RPT-S, leads a team of clinicians in the Chillicothe City Schools that provides mental health services in the school setting to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, depression and other challenges.

In addition to being a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor-Supervisor and a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, Ms. Catron spent a dozen years as a teacher working with diverse students including typical, gifted and those with learning disabilities and emotional disturbances.

Her background as both a trained mental health professional and as a teacher allows her to provide insightful guidance to teachers and school staff that helps them identify classroom based strategies to facilitate improved behavioral and academic performance for students with a variety of needs.

Ms. Catron earned both her Bachelors of English in Secondary Education and her Masters of Education in School Counseling & Professional Counseling from Ohio University.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: Cheryl Catron has an employment relationship with The Counseling Source. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc.

Non-financial: Cheryl Catron has a family member who was diagnosed with juvenile bipolar disorder.

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Objectives

1. Articulate how behavioural-driven choices differ from mental health-driven behaviours and characterize how these differences inform your choice of intervention.
2. Communicate the effective uses of medications and potential side effects that can appear as misbehaviours.
3. Implement various school-based strategies, used in collaboration with community clinicians, to intervene when behavioural issues arise from mental health conditions.
4. Determine effective positive behaviour support strategies to successfully discipline the special needs child.
5. Discriminate how IDEA relates to mental health issues and discipline.
6. Apply communication techniques that create a climate for success inside and outside the classroom.

Outline

Students with Mental Health Issues

• Characteristics of at-risk students’ mental health problems
• Mental health issues vs. intentionally disruptive behaviours
• How skill deficits from mental health issues create behavioural difficulties

Strategies for ODD and Conduct Disorder Behaviours

• Choices everyone can live with
• What adults should never say, but usually do
• Arguments with defiant kids
• Getting to the core issues of ODD
• Kids who don’t feel bad
• School-wide management program

Strategies for ADHD

• Decrease impulsive behaviours with what YOU do
• Drawing out the behaviours you want
• Decrease disruption to other students
• Know the accompanying behaviours
• Techniques to self-regulate

Strategies for ASD

• It’s all about social skills growth
• Sensory solutions
• Self-regulation techniques for ASD
• Most misinterpreted behaviours
• Manage high interest areas
• Move them past “kid cop” behaviours

Strategies for Anxiety

• What to do about separation anxiety
• Help their panic attack pass quickly
• School phobia … not always a fear of school
• Compromises that work
• Deep breathing and relaxation techniques

Strategies for Depression

• School-wide program to promote compassions and a supportive culture
• Getting them past their sense of helplessness
• When they think they have nothing to live for
• Goal oriented plans for schoolwork and school day

Strategies for Other Challenging Behaviors

• Cutting and self-injury: What you really need to know to effectively intervene
• Electronic addiction: Which kids are most susceptible and why
• Psychotropic medication side-effects vs. behavioural issues
• Electronic bullying: What adults tell kids that fuels the problem

Disciplining the Special Needs Child/Adolescent

• How IDEA relates to discipline
• Rules for disciplining special education students
• Techniques for positive behaviour support
• ”Pro-social” punishments

Strategies for the IEP Team

• Functional behavioural assessment simplified
• Facts and data to make tactical decisions
• Effective collaboration among educators and clinicians
• What most administrators do that burn out their staff
• What to do about non cooperative/reluctant parents

Target Audience

• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
• Teachers & Paraprofessionals
• School Counselors
• School Psychologists
• School Administrators
• School Social Workers
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Nurses
• Occupational Therapists
• Occupational Therapy Assistants