Location: Board Room

Presenters:
Betsy Jones, M.Ed., Secondary School Counseling Coordinator, Columbia Public Schools Sarah Owens, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition Susan Perkins, M.Ed., Elementary School Counseling Coordinator, Columbia Public Schools Molly Stebbins, Ph.D., Coordinator of Psychological Services, Columbia Public Schools Lou Ann Tanner-Jones, Ph.D., Director of the Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition

About the Presenters: Betsy Jones, M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction and M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology, has worked as a school counselor for 14 years with 8 of those years serving as both the director of school counseling at Rock Bridge High School and the Columbia Public Schools Secondary Counseling Coordinator.

Sarah Owens, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition, is a Provisionally Licensed Psychologist (PLP) and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). She has worked as a regional coordinator consulting with schools for the Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition for the past 2 years and has 6 years of experience consulting with school systems about mental health initiatives and intervention practices.

Susan Perkins, M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction and M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology, has worked as a school counselor for 12 years, while also serving 4 of those years as the coordinator for elementary school counseling. For the past 3 years, Susan has solely dedicated her time as the coordinator for elementary school counseling, assisting 21 elementary schools with implementation of the comprehensive school counseling program.

Molly Stebbins, Ph.D., is the Coordinator of Psychological Services for the Special Services Department in the Columbia Public Schools. Dr. Stebbins is a State and Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) who provided direct services to students for 15 years before becoming a full-time coordinator. For the last three years, she has guided her teams of school psychologists, educational diagnosticians, and outreach counselors to help ensure high quality service delivery in the district.

Lou Ann Tanner-Jones, Ph.D., Director of the Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition, is a State and Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). She has worked in the field of School Psychology and Special Education for over 35 years and served as the Director of Special Services for Columbia Public Schools prior to becoming the Director of the Coalition. Lou Ann has expertise in school consultation, Special Education and Section 504 compliance, interagency collaboration and mental health.

Workshop Overview:
As therapists and health service providers who work with children, adolescents and their families, we are often asked to interface with the youth’s school. We are asked for help and advice regarding how to help the child succeed in school, how to talk to a teacher or a principal, how or whether to request testing or specific accommodations for the child. Unfortunately, navigating the school system can sometimes feel like a confusing labyrinth to us, just as it can to the youths and families we serve. In this workshop, four school mental health experts will outline effective strategies for developing positive and productive relationships with school personnel in order to better meet your clients’ mental health needs within the school system. Presenters will describe important rules, regulations and legislation that directly impact how schools handle a wide range of common issues, including school-based observation, disability assessment, 504s, IEPs, health accommodations, attendance, homebound instruction, zero tolerance, and bullying. With the information, strategies and resources provided in this workshop, youth-serving providers will be able to effectively coordinate youth mental health care with school personnel and the school system.

Specifically, participants will gain:

• Up to date information about school policies and procedures regarding confidentiality, release of information and communication of student therapy goals and strategies with school personnel;
• Understanding of school legislation and regulations regarding attendance, homebound instruction, disability evaluation and designation, bullying and zero tolerance;
• Concrete suggestions for working collaboratively with youth, family and school personnel to develop feasible educational supports and accommodations; and
• A toolkit of professional resources to assist with therapist-family-school coordination efforts.

This training is supported by the Boone County Children’s Services Fund, Boone County School Mental Health Coalition, Columbia Public Schools, Family Access Center for Excellence (FACE) of Boone County, and the University of Missouri’s Center for Evidence-Based Youth Mental Health, Psychological Sciences department, Educational, School and Counseling Psychology department and the Missouri Prevention Center. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the BCCSF, BCSMHC, CPS, FACE, MU or its entities.