SEL and Addressing Mental Health Challenges in Schools

The importance of student services in this critical time

As we make plans for the transition back to school this fall, school districts and administrators are focusing on what we must do to address the rise in mental health needs for all students.  Previous to the pandemic schools could rely on specialists to meet those needs.  Now with the collective trauma students have experienced due to COVID-19 and the disruptions of the past year, all educators are having to engage and focus on the emotional wellbeing of their students.  Because of this, there has never been a greater push for well equipped student services personnel that can lead the way.  Their role will be key in helping schools to foster resilience in students and staff during these difficult times!

Fostering a resilient school culture

In this webinar we share practical examples how student/pupil services personnel can help their schools prioritize social emotional needs of students and provide tools and strategies that increase resilience. Listen as our panel of experts from the National Pupils Services Association discuss how to these strategies can help students that are struggling emotionally and lacking motivation, and what we can do to help them cope and find ways to thrive in the future.   

 

Panelists

Dr. Christopher Pugliese Dr. Pugliese practices servant leadership. In addition to his role as Director of Pupil Services, he is a Level I Google Certified Educator, a Center for Supportive Relationships-Certified Relational Skills Coach, a NASP-certified PREPaRE Trainer and a member of the Trauma Informed Education Coalition. He completed his doctoral research on the influence of teacher-student relationships on teacher wellbeing and he is committed to implementing the findings to improve relationships and wellbeing in schools. Chris has presented at many state and national conferences. Since 2017, he has been a featured speaker in the Introduction to Teaching undergraduate course at Neumann University and he has contributed to articles published in ASCD Express and Pennsylvania Teacher Educator. In addition to his doctoral degree from Neumann University, Chris also holds superintendent, principal K-12 and social studies teaching certificates. He completed his B.A. and his M.A. degrees (both in History) at St. Joseph’s University and Brown University, respectively. Chris and his wife have three children and three grandchildren.

Larrissa Henderson Ed.D Dr. Henderson, currently serves and the National Association of Pupil Services Administrators (NAPSA) President She is the director of pupil services in Oak Ridge School District in Oak Ridge, TN She wears a lot of very different hats from attendance, discipline, food services, foster care, homeless, migrant, immigrants, ELL, school nurses, court liaison, Title IX coordinator, Title VI, and Title III. She calls pupil services the “customer service department for the school district.” Dr. Henderson feels that the most rewarding aspect of her job is working with and helping students and their families. Her day changes hourly and the change can be overwhelming, but she enjoys a good challenge every now and then.

Terri Bracken Terri Bracken is the Director of Special Education and Student Services for the Garnet Valley School District located in Southeastern Pennsylvania.  Terri attended Villanova receiving a BA and certifications in Elementary and Special Education, Masters of Science in Educational Leadership and Superintendent Letter of Eligibility from St. Joseph’s University.  This year marks her 24th year as a public school educator in the field of special education and 17th year as an administrator.

Jason Johnson Jason is a licensed school psychologist and has published research on resilience and student performance.  Jason is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged students and currently consults and trains educators across the nation as the director of training and research for the WhyTry organization. Jason is a thought leader on resilience education and has spoken at hundreds of conferences around the country. He has led successful implementations of all WhyTry programs and has pioneered trainings for clients in healthcare, corporate, and the US Military.