Description
As the leader of a K-5 classroom, you know more about your students throughout the year than anyone in the building (and sometimes even the parents).
Cheryl Catron – Mental Health Issues in the K-5 Classroom: Practical Strategies for Helping Young Students Succeed at School
Your careful eye is crucial to the academic, social, and emotional development of your students – and you know when something is “off.â€
Students who are struggling with mental health issues are often first identified through their behavior, which, while developmentally appropriate, makes it hard to know how to respond effectively.
Join child/adolescent behavioral expert and former educator Cheryl Catron, M.Ed., LPCC-S, RPT-S, in this compelling recording that will transform your perception of and response to emotional and behavior problems in your classroom, including:
Tantrums and meltdowns
Impulsivity
Running out of the room
Perfectionism and rigidity
Suicidal ideation and behavior
Sensory issues
Refusal to do work
Difficulty with transitions
Disrupting others
Irritability, lashing out, aggressive behavior
Overt self-harm (head banging, hitting self)
School avoidance
Don’t miss this unique training that’s sure to have you furiously writing down notes, ideas, and plans to transform your approach with the students who need you the most. Purchase today!
Handouts
Manual – Mental Health Issues in the K-5 Classroom (59.5 MB) 112 Pages Available after Purchase Illinois Educators Self-study Instructions (28.5 KB) Available after Purchase Illinois Educators Evaluation Form (1.2 MB) Available after Purchase
Outline
K-5 Students with Mental Health Issues
When you know something’s going on, but you don’t know what it is
Characteristics of at-risk students
Why children are not small adults
How skill deficits from mental health issues create behavioral difficulties
The difference between “can’t†and “won’tâ€
How maladaptive behavior serves as protection for the child
Common myths and limitations about diagnoses
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
What adults should never say (but usually do)
How behavior reveals a need
Are you (unintentionally) rewarding misbehavior?
Kids who don’t feel bad
Arguing with a defiant child – who is that about?
De-escalation strategies that work
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
The unique needs of children with ADHD
More than a behavior problem: the neurobiology of ADHD
How to increase confidence and leadership skills in kids with ADHD
Decrease disruptions and impulsive behavior
Improve transitions, social skills, and self-regulation
ADHD medications: What do teachers need to know?
Anxiety
What we know about kids who worry too much
School anxiety – types, characteristics
What to do about separation anxiety
The perfectionistic student
Drawing out the anxious student in a safe way
Depression & Mood Dysregulation
How depression shows up in young children
Helping students overcome helplessness
When is it more than moodiness?
Helping depressed kids change their inner self-talk
Trauma and Other Significant Life Events
What the ACEs study has taught us about trauma
The fight, flight, or freeze response in the classroom
How to recognize and respond to traumatic stress
What if you don’t know the child’s history?
Incorporating trauma-informed practices into your day
Suicide, Self-Harm, and Bullying
How we talk about suicide is important
Head banging, hitting, scratching, and other “self-punishmentâ€
Helping ostracized children feel connected
Why traditional discipline doesn’t work for bullies
Making your classroom an emotionally safe space
Other School-Based Considerations
Collaborating with student support staff and outside clinicians
Working with non-cooperative/reluctant parents
Identifying your own triggers, choosing your battles
Discipline – IDEA, special education consideration
Screen time in the classroom – why reward systems don’t work
Limitations of research and potential risks
Faculty
Cheryl Catron, M.Ed., LPCC-S, RPT-S
Cheryl Catron, M.Ed., LPCC-S, RPT-S, is a long-time educator and mental health clinician who has over 19 years serving students with a wide variety of academic and mental health needs. In her most recent role as a school-based mental health clinician, she provided therapy and support services for K-5 students with differing clinical issues including depression, anxiety, social skills, ADHD, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. In addition to this, Ms. Catron also served as a consultant for and collaborator with teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school staff members. Drawing on her experience as a teacher, school counselor, and mental health clinician, Ms. Catron provided insightful guidance to develop and implement effective classroom-based strategies that facilitate improved behavioral and academic performance for students with a variety of needs including giftedness, learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disturbances.
Cheryl is licensed as both a Professional Clinical Counselor and Supervisor in the state of Ohio and a Registered Play Therapist and Supervisor through The Association for Play Therapy. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Secondary Education and her Master of Education degree in School Counseling & Professional Counseling from Ohio University.
She and her husband have recently founded a nonprofit organization, Foothold International, that serves indigenous communities in Kenya, East Africa. Ms. Catron is collaborating with the local government to develop community mental health response systems as well as trauma sensitivity to their outreach programs. She provides mental health training to teachers, health workers, and law enforcement personnel.
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.
