Wednesday, November 6th
12:00 – 5:00PM – Registration open
1:00 – 4:00PM
Elderberry
American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross has over 100 years of experience during critical incidents involving youth. An
expert in disaster mental health will describe the lessons learned and best practices for school counselors
who are involved in a critical incident that involves young people.
Foundations of Disaster Mental Health is a basic level, instructor-led course that introduces the key
concepts, knowledge and skills required of anyone assigned to the Disaster Mental Health (DMH) Activity.
It provides participants the opportunity to apply their learning to real-world examples that reflect
challenges experienced by DMH workers, be it on a Disaster Action Team response or serving on a larger
disaster relief operation.
This revised version of the course includes:
• Information related to Functional Needs Support Services (FNSS) requirements
• Reordered content related to DMH interventions based on a threeelement approach
• Information regarding PsySTART triage and mental health surveillance
• Information related to Force Health Protection
The purpose of the course is to prepare licensed mental health professionals to provide for and respond to
the psychological needs of people across the continuum of disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to—
• Describe the mission of disaster mental health and how it fits into the array of Red Cross services
provided by chapters and on disaster relief operations.
• Explain the psychological impact of disaster and how to apply the three elements of disaster mental
health intervention.
• Discuss strategies to assist disaster survivors and Red Cross workers, including addressing functional
needs and incorporating cultural awareness.
• Identify and employ force heath protection strategies to mitigate the effects of disaster stress on
workers.
• Describe the legal and ethical implications of disaster mental health work, including licensing, HIPAA
regulations, confidentiality and professional ethics.
Snowberry
Dr. John Nicoletti, Ph.D., ABPP established himself as a national expert in police psychology, violence risk
assessment, workplace and school violence prevention, as well as crisis intervention and trauma recovery.
Dr. Nicoletti has been asked to take part in several high profile investigations, including the Columbine
High School and the Virginia Tech shootings.
The training will be divided into three phases. The first phase will focus on the development of the
avenger from the formation of the perceived injustice to the avenging action. This section will provided
specifics on the detection of the signs of a potentially violent individual. There will be three categories of
risk discussed; Proactive Attacks, Reactive Attacks and individuals who are at a risk for creating Social and
Psychological Disruption. Participants will be provided with a user friendly model that classifies behaviors
into one of four categories: Normal, Boundary Probing, Attack Related and Attack.
The second phase of the training will focus on the disruption of the concerning behaviors through the
application of countermeasures. Participants will have the opportunity to provide and discuss specific
concerning behaviors in order to match relevant countermeasures to prevent an escalation. This section
will also focus on the implications and significance of an individual not complying with the limits and
disruptors.
The final phase will focus on best practices for the various progression phases in order to prevent an active
shooter scenario. This section will then focus on responding to an active event and recovery issues.
7:30-9:30 PM
First Timer/Grad Student Welcome – Rocky River Bar and Grill
Thursday, November 7th
7:00 AM
Registration
7:00-8:00AM
Lake Loveland A/B
NDSU Distance and Continuing Education Pre-Conference Session
8:00-9:00 AM - Keynote
Karen Harrington - Assistant Director of the Fredrickson Center for School Counseling Outcome Research
& Evaluation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Data use in schools is often practiced as a mechanical exercise to meet accountability demands and the
process can seem disconnected from the work of the school counselor. However we can transform databased decision making by expanding what kinds of data are collected and by examining data in a more
collaborative and relational way. Learn how school counselors can combine their professional wisdom with
skilled data use to engage in a continual improvement process of translating the wealth of educational
data collected by schools into meaningful action that will help all students succeed.
9:00-10:00 AM
The Power of P-20 Data
Brenda Bautsch
High School
Academic
Beginner
Snowberry
Thanks to inter-agency data sharing agreements between CDE, DHE, CDLE and others, Colorado can now
follow students as they progress through P-12, onto college, and into the workforce. This provides us with
vital information on concurrent enrollment, remedial education, college-going rates, postsecondary
success, and much more. Join us for a review of the abundance of data that are available, hear about the
latest research and findings on the P-20 outcomes of Colorado's students, and learn how you can put data
to work.
Impacting School Culture: How counselors can facilitate school wide initiatives that
embrace diversity, community, and acceptance
Melissa Vasa
Brendan Gallagher
Middle/High
Personal/Social
Advanced
Golden Glow
In this session, Melissa Vasa of Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, will discuss how counselors can
facilitate school-wide initiatives to help students feel safe, valuable, and included in their school
community. She will share her experiences developing a diversity leadership class; hosting an annual
Diversity Day; collaborating with 2200 staff and students to film a lip-dub; and engaging the entire student
body to write, score, act, and perform in Ridge Life, an original short motion picture. She will also discuss
the PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Support) model and how it was a pillar of support for her
work.
Yoga Calm
Christie McPhail
Elementary
Personal/Social
Beginner
Lake Loveland A/B
Yoga Calm is an award-winning, research-supported, K-12 wellness and learning preparedness curriculum
that reduces stress, improves self-control and focus, and develops social/emotional skills. It was created
by a professional school counselor who has over 30 years of classroom and school counseling experience
with a wide range of students, including those with severe behavior disorders. This innovative program
melds the traditional yoga practices of mindfulness, physical activity, and nervous system regulation with
social and emotional skill development and counseling techniques. Integrating fitness and
social/emotional learning into 5-40 minute processes, Yoga Calm includes more than 60 activities specially
designed for use in school settings. Teachers and school counselors report seeing a significant increase in
the number of children coming to school with high stress levels, behavior issues and a lack of effective
social/emotional skills. Not only do these factors create a more stressful school environment, they also
inhibit learning. Yoga Calm addresses these barriers by meeting children’s basic needs of community,
safety, structure, discipline, health and self-regulation.
RAMP 101
Tracy Thompson
All
Academic
Beginner
Big Thompson A/B
Are you working on your Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) application or thinking about applying
but not quite sure how to start? Come to this session and get valuable help and ideas about where to
begin. You will be guided through the application requirements and given a sample timeline. Additionally,
you’ll gather tips and suggestions about how to approach the process and collect data and how to submit
your school counseling program through the online submission portal.
9:00-10:30 AM
Dads of Great Students (WATCH D.O.G.S.) Engage men, inspire children, reduce bullying
and enhance the educational environment of your school.
Eric Snow
All
Personal/Social
Advanced
Aspen Daisy
WATCH D.O.G.S. ® is an innovative program focusing on education and safety in schools by using the
positive influence of fathers and father-figures to provide an unobtrusive fathering presence and a positive
and active role-model for students. Fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers and uncles are asked to spend at
least one day volunteering.
Overcoming Obstacles: Using collaboration to achieve academic success for students
struggling with mood disorders
Theresa Vera, MS
Middle/High
Academic
Intermediate
Elderberry
Mood disorders affect one in every five young people at any given time. Often the symptoms of mood
disorders can be overlooked and mistaken as “normal” teenage behavior. Early diagnosis and treatment is
critical to recovery and support in the school environment is essential to academic success. In this session
we take a close look at mood disorders and the way they affect academic performance. In particular we
will explore how school counselors can collaborate with school staff, parents and community resources in
order to provide support for students suffering from depression and bipolar disorder. We will delve into
one family’s story of how a school counselor collaborated with others to keep a student suffering from a
major depressive episode alive and in school. Living with a mood disorder and academic success can go
hand in hand when school counselors take an active and supportive role in the lives of these at-risk
students.
The Heart of Equity: Gender equity in career guidance, that is
Lauren LJ Jones
Middle/High
Career
Beginner
River Birch A
Colorado is now a partner state with the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE). CTE and the
Community College System is the spear leader in this project for the next three years. Join this interactive,
research based session to learn more about Girls in STEM, Men in Early Childhood Education, Girls in the
Trades, Men in Health Science and other non-traditional career pathways. We’ll address the fast facts
within the job market watch, deconstruct the disparity, explore changing the conversation and unpack our
diverse work values framework. All in the honor of rich, universal, unbiased Career Guidance (great for
your MS and HS ICAP processes)! We’ll leave you with the strategies and resources to guide you, your
teachers and parents in supporting an engaged equal access world.
9:00-11:00 AM
Enhancing Intrinsic Motivation
Gene Eakin, PhD
All
Academic
Beginner
River Birch B
Counselors’ efforts to assist clients with change in any of the three domains requires counselors be able to
enhance clients’ intrinsic motivation to change and then achieve their new goals. Counselors’ efforts to
effect system change, program change, or self-care change requires they be able to enhance others’ or
self-motivation to change and achieve.
Enhancing Intrinsic Motivation to Change and Achieve provides practical strategies to use, and participants
will leave this workshop having practiced these strategies and having developed their plan to begin
utilizing the strategies in their work with their students. Participants also benefit from learning about how
people and organizations change and how they can use these strategies to motivate themselves to
accomplish personal and professional goals.
10:30-11:30 AM
Professional School Counselor Log 3.0
Rex D. Filer
All
Academic
Beginner
Big Thompson A/B
Professional school counselors are accountable to a variety of stakeholders. Learn how to document your
daily activities with the Professional School Counselor Log 3.0. The ASCA National Model (3rd edition)
recommends a“…use-of-time assessment [to help] school counselor determine how much time is spent in
each of the components of the ASCA National Model.” The latest version of the log allows the school
counselor to do this with a user-friendly Excel spreadsheet. Dynamic charts instantly show how your daily
activities compare with the ASCA National Model’s recommendation for use of time. Suggestions from
users of previous versions of the log have been incorporated in 3.0. Participants will receive the log via email free of charge after the conference.
Classroom Management and Lesson Planning
Linda Lawrey
All
Academic
Beginner
Lake Loveland A/B
This session will help counselors learn best practices of classroom management and elements of lesson
design. This will be an interactive session and attendees will walk away with ideas and tools that can be
implemented right away.
Take Action! Effective Leadership for Counselors
JP Butler
All
Academic
Beginner
Golden Glow
As counselors, we have an amazing opportunity to provide voices to the quietest populations. Our ability
to use our innate leadership qualities (which are different for every person) can truly take us and our
clients to the next level! This not only includes how we are a leader for our clients, but how we share
leadership with other counselors. This workshop will provide an overview of how you can use your own
personal leadership skills to better help your clients, and to become a better team player for school
counselors everywhere!
11:00-12:30 PM
A Mental and Emotional Tool Kit for Life
Ray Mathis
High School
Personal/Social
Advanced
Snowberry
There are ten "tools" we could and should be giving to all teachers and students to help them better
manage their mental, emotional and behavioral responses to events in and outside the classroom. These
events, and their responses to them often undermine many students readiness, willingness and ability to
learn, and many teachers ability to teach them. This is especially true for the most troubled and
troublesome students in any school building. They present teachers with many psycho-social challenges
that teachers are ill prepared to deal with. As a result, teachers make many mistakes with students,
especially the most troubled and troublesome who we can least afford to make mistakes with. School
counselors can and should take the lead in teaching these "tools" to everyone in their buildings. It would
be a tremendous compliment to existing prevention and intervention efforts, enhance wellness in staff
and students, and help students get into the best cognitive and emotional place to function at levels they
are capable of and that we want them to.
Improving Student Attendance from a Colorado Perspective
Cori Canty Woessner
All
Personal/Social
Intermediate
Elderberry
Participants will learn about Colorado specific definitions and the role of attendance in state education
policy. This session will address root causes for decreased attendance including chronic absenteeism and
school level strategies and resources to increase attendance rates. Schools who have demonstrated
improved attendance amongst their students will be highlighted.
Helping Teens that Self Injure (101)
Christian T. Hill, MA
Middle/High
Personal/Social
Beginner
River Birch A
This is an introductory course to self-injury. In this session we will cover what self-injury is, why teens do it,
and how to help. Additionally we will have a teen panel for question and answers as well as success
stories.
A Brain Based Approach to Teaching Heart: Developing students’ social and emotional
intelligence in just minutes a day
Tom McSheehy MSW, LSW
Elementary
Personal/Social
Beginner
Aspen Daisy
Schools are in the strategic position to profoundly influence the development of mental health in children.
Research is showing that schools which develop the social and emotional intelligence of their students do
better academically, and their students are better behaved, more positive, and less anxious. The four
primary social and emotional learning skills needed for academic achievement and overall success in life
are the ability to manage emotion, control impulses, focus attention, and calm oneself.
When counselors and teachers focus on these skills for just 10-15 minutes a day, powerful change can
happen to children’s brains and healthy, calming behavior patterns are fostered and learned. The focus
and attention of counseling and teaching needs to be aligned with how the whole brain works in order to
support students in learning to their fullest potential. Come learn some basic information about how
children's brains work and how to support them in learning to manage their emotion and calm themselves
so they can focus their attention.
SB-191 and How it Relates to the School Counselor
Jean Williams
All
Academic
Beginner
River Birch C
The Rubric for the Special Service Providers, including school counselors, is complete and being piloted
around the state. Come and take an in depth look at the rubric and find out how your practice might be
improved as a result of this new rubric.
11:30-12:30 PM
Post-Secondary Access and Success for Foster Care Alumni, Homeless/Unaccompanied,
Orphaned, and First-Generation Students
Erin Pitts
High School
Career
Beginner
Lake Loveland A/B
This session will cover the unique opportunities and challenges of independent youth in post-secondary
education. Attendees will learn how to best connect these students to resources and programs across the
state. Topics covered include housing/enrollment deposit deferments, application fee waivers,
Educational Training Voucher, Family Unification Program (housing voucher), McKinney-Vento and FAFSA,
scholarships, and support services.
Passing the Torch: Best practices for hosting counseling interns
Ellen Hinckley, MEd, NCC
All
Career
Intermediate
Carter Lake A/B
At the heart of education is teaching, learning, and developing both ourselves and our students
professionally; what better way to impact the future of education and our profession than hosting a
counseling intern? This interactive presentation provides insight into counseling internship program
development, from creating the job description to recruiting talented applicants to full integration of the
intern into your site. Special attention will be paid to counseling and experiential learning theory as well as
internship stages. Participants will leave with a better understanding of how to effectively host a
counseling intern to ensure a mutually beneficial experience. Takeaways include: template of internship
stages adapted to your site, response strategies per internship stage, and site requirements from Colorado
CACREP-accredited counseling programs.
Choice, Control and Connections: Using Reality Therapy to Empower Students
Sylinda Banks
All
Personal/Social
Beginner
Golden Glow
This interactive workshop explores strategies to help students make wise choices, take control over their
lives and make connections to build successful relationships. Participants will learn how to teach students
to take responsibility for their behavior using Choice Theory/Reality Therapy principles. Participants will
complete several experiential activities. Discover how to teach students the process of self-evaluation and
goal setting to help them be successful. Learn how choice theory/reality therapy strategies can be
implemented in an individual and/or group counseling session. Participants will learn how to teach these
strategies to students, teachers, and parents!
12:30-1:30 PM
Regional Lunch
1:30-2:30 PM
Tech Savvy: Understanding and using social media as it pertains to school counselors and
their students
Tabitha Panariso
All
Personal/Social
Beginner
Big Thompson A/B
In today's society, technology is creating a common language and common place for people to connect in
a variety of environments. Whether that is in the workplace, with friends, or with family - technology is
replacing old forms of communication. What does this mean for School Counselors? More importantly,
how can School Counselors use technology to their advantage to grow their students, their staff, and even
themselves? In this session, School Counselors will be provided information regarding the
"communication" of technology, Social Media which includes discussion on platforms such as Instagram,
Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs. Not only will School Counselors walk away with the savviness to use social
media for their professional development, but also with an understanding of how how social media works
in the lives of thier student populations. As Tech Savvy School Counselors, we can grow to a whole new
level and really get to the heart of education; our students.
Heal the Heart by Fixing the Harm
Deanna Kline
High School
Personal/Social
Intermediate
Lake Loveland A/B
The presentation will focus on the positive effects of implementing a Restorative Justice Program as a
means of helping students change their behavior and make amends for their choices without being
suspended or expelled. The whole presentation would share a three prong approach by training peer
counselors to do RJ, developing a Culture of Care and Equity within the staff to deal with all students and
to specifically address the issues of academic performance for African American students and other
students of color. The data will show how these three things have positively affected attendance,
academic performance, discipline and school climate at Hinkley High School.
The ABC's of ELLs
Christina Clayton
All
Academic
Beginner
Elderberry
This session will be an introduction for school counselors who have English Language Learners (ELLs) on
their campus and need some guidance. The session will focus on laws surrounding ELLs, ELL categories
and their meanings, and resources for ELLs including refugees. Because each district addresses ELL
instruction in a different manner, the information will be general in scope.
Early Warning Indicators
Karen Harrington
All
Academic
Beginner
Carter Lake A/B
Early Warning Systems are considered on the cutting edge of data-based decision making. This
presentation will explain how school counselors can use Early Warning Indicators – as early as the first
grade – to identify which students are at-risk of disengaging from school and not graduating. Researchbased interventions to address disengagement and strategies for developing an early warning system in
your school will be discussed.
1:45-3:45 PM
Regulation & the Nervous System
Judith Norman, MA, MS
Elementary
Personal/Social
Beginner
Aspen Daisy
Understanding what is happening in the brain and the nervous system is vital in supporting students in
self-regulation. Working with students at the level of their nervous system promotes long term change and
growth. Participants will learn how their own automatic reactions impact relationships and what they can
do to mirror the internal states of students and model self-regulation.
Helping Teens that Self Injure (201)
Christian T. Hill, MA
Middle/High
Personal/Social
Advanced
River Birch C
This session goes further into the psychology of self-injury, what drives it, and the most successful
cognitive behavioral tools to lead towards recovery.
2:30-4:00 PM
Drive the data!
Andy Tucker
All
Academic
Intermediate
Snowberry
As school counselors, our practice must be data driven. But how to drive that data? In this interactive
presentation, you will learn how to extract data from Infinite Campus (with some instructions for other
student information systems) and how to disaggregate that data using pivot tables within Microsoft Excel.
Bring your Microsoft enabled device to learn how to find achievement gaps you didn't know existed.
Track student progress and follow trends. Make a significant impact in your school by driving the data!
A Cooperative Approach to Managing Community Crises in Schools
Cory Notestine
Middle/High
Personal/Social
Intermediate
River Birch B
We will explore community crises and their impact on schools and the community in rural Colorado. Levels
of intervention and support will be discussed, as well as, an overview of current Crisis Response Teams and
their functional capabilities in rural areas. Limitations of services and lack of crisis preparation in schools
will be discussed, while fostering ideas for inter-agency collaboration during community disasters in order
provide psychological first aid to students in need of services during crises.
Putting CAP4Kids Policies to Work
Gully Stanford
All
Career
Intermediate
Golden Glow
How are the new policies working? CAP4Kids, Educator Effectiveness, Concurrent Enrollment, Remediation
and Admission Policy Updates, Graduation Guidelines, ASCENT, ASSET, Expanded Learning Opportunities.
This "omnibus" session will update you on the collaborative work of CDE, CDHE and CTE to support
students' postsecondary and workforce readiness.
Effective Bullying Prevention Practices
JP Butler
Middle/High
Personal/Social
Intermediate
Elderberry
This workshop will cover several topics: (1) Colorado State Law regarding bullying prevention, (2) researchbased practices common with effective bullying prevention programs, (3) generating a long-term,
sustainable, and positive school climate and culture by tapping into the power of your students, and (4)
learning how to partner with your students to address bullying rather than doing it without them.
Transgender 101
Michelle Benzor-Marquez
Melaina Marquez
Karen Adams
All
Personal/Social
Beginner
River Birch A
Please join us to hear student’s personal stories of living as transgender/ gender variant individuals and the
challenges they face in the school and public environment, as well as within their personal lives. The
organization TYES, Transgender Youth Educational Services, will also be represented and will be providing
educational and support resources to help with the changes in terminology and how concepts have
changed. Most importantly, let this be a ‘safe zone” experience for your questions to be asked.
2:45-3:45 PM
AmeriCorps NCCC: Opportunity for students, resource for schools
Heather Dirck, Community Relations Specialist, and Dana Platin, Deputy Director for Programs
All
Career
Advanced
Big Thompson A/B
The mission of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is to strengthen communities and
develop leaders through direct, team-based national and community service. In partnership with nonprofits—secular and faith based, local municipalities, state governments, federal government, national or
state parks, Indian Tribes and schools members complete service projects throughout the region they are
assigned.
With the eight-state Southwest Region of AmeriCorps NCCC based in Denver, we’d like to share with
school counselors in our home state this resource for their schools. AmeriCorps NCCC teams can support
schools for six to ten weeks to help with tutoring, after-school programming, mentoring, health and
fitness classes, building an outdoor classroom, and more. We’ll discuss the benefits of sponsoring a team,
who can apply to host a team, what the application process looks like, and the timeline for applying.
Additionally, AmeriCorps NCCC is a great opportunity for men and women ages 18-24, to complete 10
months of national service, build their résumé, and earn a $5,550 education award to use towards college
or technical/trade school. We’ll discuss potential projects a Corps Member would complete during service,
eligibility and the application process, and the multi-faceted benefits of joining AmeriCorps NCCC.
Working with Military Children: Utilizing the Military Interstate Compact
Susan West
Middle/High
Academic
Beginner
Lake Loveland A/B
Colorado has several communities that are highly impacted by the US Armed Services. The Military
Interstate Children's Compact Commission has developed an interstate compact that 46 states currently
participate in. This compact addresses the key issues faced by military children and allows for uniform
treatment of military students as they move across state lines. In our session we will go over the specifics
of the compact, especially with regard to how school counselors can utilize this important tool when
working with their military families.
ICAP - Let's Hear from the Practitioners
Tracy Thompson
Middle/High
Career
Intermediate
Carter Lake A/B
This session focuses on all things ICAP, we’ll facilitate a dynamic conversation for sharing ICAP processes
and strategies with one another. We’ll share some data from the past years. The space will be informal yet,
strategic in hopes to ensure that those attending will walk away filled with motivation, assurance and
ideas. Audience active participation is appreciated and expected. The more you give, the more you get!
5:45 PM – Awards Dinner-doors open
6:15 – 8:00PM – Awards Dinner
Mountain Holly
8:00-11:00 PM – Dance
Pinyon Pine
Friday, November 8th
7:00 AM
Registration
8:00-9:00 AM – Keynote
Sylinda Gilchrist Banks, Ed.D. - Secondary School Counseling Specialist at Fairfax County Public School
Be True to You: Self-Care for School Counselors
Stress and burnout are prevalent among counselors, but it does not have to be. This workshop will address
how to handle stress, refocus yourself and renew your commitment to counseling. Participants will learn
and experience self-rejuvenating activities to reduce stress and renew their mind, body and spirit.
9:00-10:00 AM
Tech Savvy: Understanding and using social media as it pertains to school counselors and
their students
Tabitha Panariso
All
Personal/Social
Beginner
Snowberry
In today's society, technology is creating a common language and common place for people to connect in
a variety of environments. Whether that is in the workplace, with friends, or with family - technology is
replacing old forms of communication. What does this mean for School Counselors? More importantly,
how can School Counselors use technology to their advantage to grow their students, their staff, and even
themselves? In this session, School Counselors will be provided information regarding the
"communication" of technology, Social Media which includes discussion on platforms such as Instagram,
Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs. Not only will School Counselors walk away with the savviness to use social
media for thier professional development, but also with an understanding of how social media works in
the lives of their student populations. As Tech Savvy School Counselors, we can grow to a whole new level
and really get to the heart of education; our students.
Things We Wish High School Counselors Knew About Transfers
Kathy Klein, Colorado State University
High School
Academic
Intermediate
Aspen Daisy
Last year, 38 percent of high school completers entering college began their journey at two-year
institutions, many looking to go on to complete baccalaureate degrees. Some were making a practical
economic decision, some had not lived up to their potential, some were not ready to leave their family and
community, and some needed a test-drive to see if higher education was the right option for them. No
matter the reason, all who seek to continue on to a four-year institution will need proper guidance during
each transition. Becoming a transfer student presents a new set of challenges and opportunities that
should be discussed before they begin their journey. Hear the high school, community college and
university perspectives regarding the preparation at each stage of the transition and what you can do to
make sure that baccalaureate degree becomes a reality.
Before the Crisis: Tools of prevention
Julie Jungman, LCSW
Middle/High
Personal/Social
Beginner
River Birch A
In this session, attendees will gain understanding of suicide statistics and hear about Suicide Prevention
through The Jason Foundation. School counselors will hear Jason's story and walk away with tools and
tangible resources they can take to their schools to aid in suicide prevention work. Some of these tools
will include stress-reduction (that is beyond breathing exercises) and tools that are effective in the
classroom. In addition, learn to take care of yourself so you can help your students!
Honoring the Standards – How can policy support the Counseling profession?
Legislator: Evie Hudak
State Board: Jane Goff
Local Board member: Ryan McCoy
CEA: Amie Baca
Principal: Matthew Willis
Counselor: Jennifer Quintana
All
Academic
Beginner
Big Thompson A/B
Have you ever felt that your talents and energies are being diverted, distracted…even wasted…by the
daily demands of operational needs: the master schedule, building maintenance, cafeteria, bus duty,
proctoring endless tests? While we happily take on our fair share, do counselors wind up bearing an unfair
load? This panel – a legislator, a state board member, a local board member, a principal, a CEA
representative and a counselor – will review the laws and policies, with reference to ASCA Standards, the
Counselor Corps, CAP4Kids and Educator Effectiveness. We’ll discuss what rights and protections
counselors can enjoy and ways to ensure that we get to practice what we are trained for, the noble
profession of Guidance Counseling!
9:00-11:00 AM
High in Plain Sight: Youth Alcohol, Drug & Violence Trends
Officer Jermaine Galloway
All
Personal/Social
Intermediate
River Birch C
This session will test your knowledge in regards to current local Colorado and national alcohol, drug and
violence trends. The session will cover a spectrum of alcohol and drug clothing, drug logos, drug trends,
alcoholic energy drinks, alcoholic based clothing, music, drug terms, underage drinking, alcohol terms,
hidden compartments, weapon concealment, and other popular culture items.
Whether you work, live, or frequent rural areas or more densely populated Colorado areas this session will
be relevant to you. This training is unique, in that it provides over 100 visual aids that are popular in the
alcohol and drug world for attendees to hold and become familiar with, along with photos and information
on national locations who are promoting underage drinking, violence and substance abuse. Enforcement
and prevention starts here, remember You Can't Stop What You Don't Know!
Helping Teens that Self Injure 201
Christian T. Hill, MA
Middle/High
Personal/Social
Advanced
River Birch B
This session goes further into the psychology of self-injury, what drives it, and the most successful
cognitive behavioral tools to lead towards recovery.
9:15-10:45 AM
Eating Disorder Prevention - A Family Therapy Approach
Amber Sokoll, MA, LPC, RYT
All
Personal/Social
Beginner
Lake Loveland A/B
As an eating disorder professional, work on prevention with our youth is extremely imperative. My
expertise as a family therapist has increased my understanding of ways that families can be empowered to
help in prevention work. I will share warning signs, strategies for family members and educators in
navigating this illness, ways of promoting awareness within the school system, and how families can get
involved. In addition, I will share ways that families and educators can be included in supporting students
who are struggling with an eating disorder.
A Mental and Emotional Tool Kit for Life
Ray Mathis
High School
Personal/Social
Advanced
Elderberry
There are ten "tools" we could and should be giving to all teachers and students to help them better
manage their mental, emotional and behavioral responses to events in and outside the classroom. These
events and their responses to them often undermine many students readiness, willingness and ability to
learn, and many teachers ability to teach them. This is especially true for the most troubled and
troublesome students in any school building. They present teachers with many psycho-social challenges
that teachers are ill prepared to deal with. As a result, teachers make many mistakes with students,
especially the most troubled and troublesome who we can least afford to make mistakes with. School
counselors can and should take the lead in teaching these "tools" to everyone in their buildings. It would
be a tremendous compliment to existing prevention and intervention efforts, enhance wellness in staff
and students, and help students get into the best cognitive and emotional place to function at levels they
are capable of and that we want them to.
Everybody’s Doing It: Engaging Student Leaders to take ACTION Against Bullying
Sameen DeBard
Middle/High
Personal/Social
Intermediate
Golden Glow
Join us in an interactive session to see how Cherokee Trail High School has utilized student groups such as
Link Crew, Student Government, AVID and Student Athletes to implement bullying prevention strategies.
In year two of their bullying prevention efforts, CTHS is training students to deliver guidance lessons in a
variety of settings to reach the entire student body. Learn how to capitalize on the power of positive peer
influence. Participants will walk away with curriculum ready to implement at middle or high school sites.
10:00-11:00 AM
Show Me the Money! Grant writing basics to get your next idea off the ground!
Cassie Poncelow, School Counselor, Poudre High School
All
Academic
Beginner
Carter Lake A/B
Is your next best idea for helping students grounded until you can find a few dollars to get it going? This
session will provide you with some basic background on how and where to find grants and tips and
techniques for writing them. Presented by a school counselor who gets them, a grant writer who has
written hundreds of them, and a grants administrator who reads them – you will get the full picture on
how to get the funding you need for an upcoming project or program.
Evaluating our work as School Counselors
Karen Harrinton
All
Academic
Beginner
Snowberry
This presentation will describe an evaluation framework school counselors can use to connect their work
to important educational outcomes by identifying the links between an intervention and the ultimate
desired change. Commonly used data terms will be defined and contextualized and the importance of
evaluating our work to know how we are making a difference for students will be discussed.
Classroom Management and Lesson Planning
Linda Lawrey
All
Academic
Beginner
Big Thompson A/B
This session will help counselors learn best practices of classroom management and elements of lesson
design. This will be an interactive session and attendees will walk away with ideas and tools that can be
implemented right away.
10:15-11:45 AM
SB-191 and how it relates to the school counselor
Tracy Thompson
All
Academic
Beginner
Aspen Daisy
The Rubric for the Special Service Providers, inclusing school counselors, is complete and being piloted
around the state. Come and take an in depth look at the rubric and find out how your practice might be
improved as a result of this new rubric.
The Ethics of Confidentiality is the Heart of School Counseling
Rhonda Williams Ed.D.,LPC., NCC.
All
Personal/Social
Intermediate
River Birch A
This interactive session will be a chance to review ethical decision-making and ASCA ethical standards
while looking through the lens of the school counseling practitioner. An opportunity to discuss the many
contemporary ethical concerns and issues for the school counselors in the field will be offered during this
session.
11:00-12:00 PM
College & Career Counseling in Middle School
Jaimie Stickl, Kristin Hartman, Candice Neverve, Jessica Rodriguez
Middle School
Career
Intermediate
Golden Glow
Our session is focused on college and career counseling at the middle school level. Preparing students
early on for post-secondary readiness is essential but often overlooked in the middle school years. Our
session would include specific strategies and take away activities and interventions in both the postsecondary readiness and career preparation domains.
What's CESDA?: A Non-Profit with a Heart for Working with Underrepresented Students
Priscilla Gardea
High School
Academic
Beginner
Big Thompson A/B
Many of you may have heard of CESDA, but are you familiar with how we can work together to meet our
goals? Come learn more about the programs and services CESDA offers for Colorado high school students,
especially geared towards first-generation, limited-income, students of color, and/or undocumented
students. High school counselors can learn how their students can benefit by attending our pre-collegiate
symposiums and by having access to our directory/work-book. CESDA is an organization that reinforces
and supports the fluid journey to college. Come learn more about being a part of this community that is
directly working with narrowing the educational achievement gap in Colorado.
Helpful Hints for Getting To and Through College – Concurrent Enrollment & Transfer
Articulation
Misti Ruthven
Middle/High
Academic
Intermediate
Carter Lake A/B
The emphasis is shifting in Higher Education from student enrollment and access to student completion.
It’s true – we do need to help them get TO college, but even more so, we need to help them get THROUGH
a degree program. Help your high school students know what their options are for more easily completing
a postsecondary degree. We will review the Concurrent Enrollment/ASCENT programs with a focus on
how to choose college courses guaranteed to transfer among public institutions of higher education. This
knowledge will help your students save time and money by taking the minimum number of courses
needed to complete a college degree. In addition, learn about other guaranteed transfer options such as
the gtPathways general education curriculum, statewide transfer articulation agreements, transfer guides,
and the latest policy changes for these programs.
School Therapy Dogs
Jennifer VonLintel
Elementary
Personal/Social
Advanced
Lake Loveland A/B
The front range of Colorado is at the national forefront of animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted
activities. This session will outline the work of a therapy/facility certified team at an elementary school in
Loveland. The team consists of the school counselor and her dog, Copper. A foundation of the work will
be presented in a "day in the life of Copper" format that allows for a look at various activities and
interventions that can be used in a school setting. We will then discuss the process for establishment of a
program and a resource for networking with others that are interested in using this modality in their own
schools.
The presenter of this program has been involved in research of the human-animal bond at CSU and was
awarded a certificate in Animal-Assisted Therapy Activities and Learning through the University of Denver
Graduate School of Social Work / Institute for Human-Animal Connection. She has attended multiple
workshops at Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado and has recently been contacted about
helping develop a national certification program for an Animal-Assisted Therapy designation.
The work that can be accomplished with a therapy/facility dog is not limited to the elementary school level.
Counselors K through 12 can use the information presented in this session.

Keynote speaker – Breakout TBD
12:00-1:00 PM
Level Lunch
1:00-2:00 PM
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Know Your A, B, Cs about Concussions and TBIs
Dr. Laura Gaudet
All
Personal/Social
Beginner
Big Thompson A/B
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem in the United States. Every year, at least 1.7
million TBIs occur as an isolated injury or along with other injuries. The majority of TBIs are concussions or
other forms of mild TBI. A concussion is a type of brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head
that causes it to move rapidly back and forth. The blow to the head can change the way the brain normally
works. What seems to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious and cause a concussion, which
can occur in any sport or recreation activity. This presentation will help school counselors and other school
personnel recognize and know what to do when a student has a concussion or a brain injury. School
counselors will learn how to support the student and assist them in their academic, affect, and psychosocial challenges.
Intuition: Heart, Brain and Belly Connect
Becky Hensley and John Christiansen
All
Personal/Social
Beginner
Lake Loveland A/B
How do we explain a gut feeling? Why can we feel physical pain when we have a broken heart? Our
presentation explores the current research and new discoveries relating to the physical connections that
occur when we experience intuition. We dare to go further and apply this to a school environment,
exploring approaches to consider when dealing with trauma, crisis, loss and the somatic symptoms
students and staff experience.
Got Love? Got Adolescents? Love on Career Guidance with them!
Lauren LJ Jones
Middle/High
Career
Intermediate
Carter Lake A/B
We invest in Career Guidance in Middle School to introduce students to their interests, resulting in
relevance for learning with an increase in their engagement that supports high school program
recruitment and retention, inevitably increasing graduation rates and Postsecondary enrollment rates. We
believe that investing in Middle School Career Guidance will result in students obtaining: early exposure to
careers & the World of Work, access to Career & Technical Student Associations (CTSOs) - through
investing in MS CTE programs, alignment to Individual Career & Academic Plan (ICAP) preparedness and
increase Postsecondary Workforce Readiness (PWR)-Going School Culture. Join us as we explore concepts,
pedagogy, resources, address gender equity/gender bias in career guidance and align everything to where
Colorado wants us to be – including PWR-ful and ASCA friendly!
1:00-2:30 PM
An Overview of the Threat Assessment Process
Christine Harms
All
Personal/Social
Intermediate
Aspen Daisy
In creating safe and secure learning environments for students and school personnel, it is vital to have a
trained Threat Assessment Team to assess students when concerns of threats arise. This session provides
a general overview of the best practice components to implement when conducting threat
assessments. Participants will come away with a better understanding of the four elements of the School
Threat Assessment Process. The eight Threat Assessment Inquiry Steps from the U.S. Secret Service will
be briefly reviewed, and participants will be provided with sample threat assessment documents that
utilize the Secret Service’s Eleven Key Questions
Improving Student Attendance from a Colorado Perspective
Cori Canty Woessner
All
Personal/Social
Intermediate
River Birch A
Participants will learn about Colorado specific definitions and the role of attendance in state education
policy. This session will address root causes for decreased attendance including chronic absenteeism and
school level strategies and resources to increase attendance rates. Schools who have demonstrated
improved attendance amongst their students will be highlighted.
Infusing Purpose in our Students
Levi Brackman
High School
Personal/Social
Intermediate
Golden Glow
This session is a conversation about fostering purpose among students. William Damon, Ph.D. of Stanford
University found that only twenty percent of youth have a sense of purpose in their lives, which has a
negative impact on student development. Purpose Finding Coaching can reverse this trend.
Attendees will learn about recent evidence-based research on youth purpose and a unique coaching
method that helps students find purpose. The overall takeaway for audience members are the benefits
purpose has on student success, productivity and career preparation.
To quote William Damon, Ph.D. of Stanford University, “[The Youth Directions coaching process]
incorporates many of the ideas that have emerged from recent research on how young people find
purpose in life.” After finding purpose in their lives, youth become more motivated in school and
empowered in life.
Social/Emotional Intelligence for Adolescent Groups
Matthew McClain, Rhonda Williams and Sameen DeBard
All
Personal/Social
Beginner
River Birch B
Focus on developing effective boys' and girls' groups in this interactive session. Learn about genderspecific group activities supporting the diverse needs of adolescents. Understand how gender influences
learning and social emotional intelligence. Learn how to apply gender research and group mentoring in
your school counseling program. Create your own mentor-led group sessions with a focus on academic,
career and personal/social development.
A cooperative approach to managing community crises in schools
Cory Notestine
Middle/High
Personal/Social
Intermediate
Elderberry
We will explore community crises and their impact on schools and the community in rural Colorado. Levels
of intervention and support will be discussed, as well as, an overview of current Crisis Response Teams and
their functional capabilities in rural areas. Limitations of services and lack of crisis preparation in schools
will be discussed, while fostering ideas for inter-agency collaboration during community disasters in order
provide psychological first aid to students in need of services during crises.
1:15-3:15 PM
Regulation & the Nervous System
Judith Norman, MA, MS
Elementary
Personal/Social
Beginner
Snowberry
Understanding what is happening in the brain and the nervous system is vital in supporting students in
self-regulation. Working with students at the level of their nervous system promotes long term change and
growth. Participants will learn how their own automatic reactions impact relationships and what they can
do to mirror the internal states of students and model self-regulation.
High in Plain Sight: Youth Alcohol, Drug & Violence Trends
Officer Jermaine Galloway
All
Personal/Social
Intermediate
River Birch C
This session will test your knowledge in regards to current local Colorado and national alcohol, drug and
violence trends. The session will cover a spectrum of alcohol and drug clothing, drug logos, drug trends,
alcoholic energy drinks, alcoholic based clothing, music, drug terms, underage drinking, alcohol terms,
hidden compartments, weapon concealment, and other popular culture items.
Whether you work, live, or frequent rural areas or more densely populated Colorado areas this session will
be relevant to you. This training is unique, in that it provides over 100 visual aids that are popular in the
alcohol and drug world for attendees to hold and become familiar with, along with photos and information
on national locations who are promoting underage drinking, violence and substance abuse. Enforcement
and prevention starts here, remember You Can't Stop What You Don't Know!
2:15-3:15 PM
"Tool Time" groups for your most troubled and troublesome students
Ray Mathis
High School
Personal/Social
Advanced
Big Thompson A/B
Troubled and troublesome students usually hear most about what they do wrong. They typically have built
a host of defenses against a long history or hearing and believing they haven't lived up to others
expectations. They are usually quick to raise those defenses when approached in ways they perceive as
more of the same. This approach is more educational, even though education can be very therapeutic. It's
about their future instead of their past and present. It offers them Unconditional Other Acceptance, and
encourages them to have Unconditional Self-Acceptance from the start. It promises to teach them how to
have real power in their lives, to gain more control over their lives, to feel the way they've always wanted
to, to keep people out of their heads, to have the life they've always wanted, and to be smarter than
others in some very important ways.
Accelerated Learning: Reaching ALL Students
Janice Tkaczyk
Middle/High
Academic
Beginner
Lake Loveland A/B
Just because you are in front of the classroom teaching a guidance lesson, does not mean you are reaching
all of the students. Learn through Dr. David Meier’s work on whole mind/body learning how to engage
your students. Take a brief test to discover your learning style and discuss classroom implications.
Participate in a fun, problem solving activity and then apply your learning to real-life counseling situations.
Take away ideas for immediate use for yourself and your colleagues. Everyone receives a copy of David
Meier’s Learning in Style Workbook.
RAMP 201
Tracy Thompson
All
Academic
Advanced
Carter Lake A/B
Are you working on your Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) application and not quite sure about
certain aspects of the application or the process? Come to this session and get valuable help and ideas
about how to improve your application. You will be guided through the submission requirements and
given time to ask specific questions about your current application. Please bring your current application
and questions and find out how to submit your best application
3:30-4:30 PM
Lake Loveland A/B
NDSU Distance and Continuing Education Post Session