Scotia-Glenville Central School District is continuing our partnership with Building Better Futures to provide the Parents as Partners Webinar Series 2022-23 to our staff and families.
This opportunity is hosted by Educational Consultant and Trainer Jennifer Bashant, Ph.D., LMSW, MA. Dr. Bashant engages her audience with evidence-based strategies that will empower students, families and teachers to build positive relationships.
Dr. Bashant explains, “As a mom of a child who had special needs, I know what it feels like to be misunderstood and labeled as ‘one of those parents.’ I have felt the difference between the teacher who saw my child’s strengths and found ways for him to shine, and the teacher who used sarcasm and strict discipline to ‘encourage good behavior.’ I have also seen what a profound difference the first teacher made on my child’s self-esteem, willingness to take risks, and even his social relationships.”
Sign up today for this webinar series
Each live webinar will take place at 6:30pm. Even if you are not available to watch the webinar live, we encourage you to register because you will automatically receive the link to the recording after the live event. Access to the recordings will be available for those who sign up through June 30.
September 27
Understanding and Addressing School Refusal
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School refusal has always been an issue for a small number of students, but following remote learning due to the pandemic, a much larger number of students are struggling with the return to school in-person. It is important to understand where the fear lies. During this webinar, you will learn about anxiety and how it takes hold; what makes anxiety better and what makes it worse; how to determine the specific triggers for your child’s anxiety, and how to begin conversations with your child and with the school that will help your child feel more comfortable in school and reduce the stress each morning in your household.
October 18
Ways to Advocate for Your Child and Partner with the School
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When you have a child for whom school is challenging, for one reason or another, it is critical to have effective communication and a positive relationship with the school (teachers, administrators, mental health professionals, and others on the team). However, school meetings can feel intimidating and overwhelming. Parents and caregivers can feel as though their child is misunderstood, or they, themselves, can feel blamed. During this webinar, you will learn tips for partnering with the school and advocating for your child so they get what they need.
November 1
Depression and Suicide
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The teenage years are defined by changes, sometimes dramatic changes, in behavior. These are often difficult years for families, even when mental health challenges are not present. So, how do you know what are considered normal changes, and when the changes in mood, isolating behavior and loss of interest in certain activities is clinical depression? This is not an easy question to answer, but we will tackle it during this webinar. We will look at the symptoms of depression and warning signs for suicide, and you will learn ways that you can support your child and get them professional help if needed. It can be overwhelming and difficult to find a therapist who is also accepting new patients, so we will look at tips for finding a therapist who will be a good fit for your child.
November 28
Social Media Overload and the Epidemic of Loneliness
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One of the biggest challenges of parenting today is moderating our kids’ use of technology. It can be a daily struggle over how much time is spent on phones, computers and video games. The explosion of social media and the overload of information is creating a sense of loneliness and negatively affecting our children’s mental health. As parents and caregivers, we know too much technology is detrimental, but how much is too much, and what can we do to protect our children from the harmful effects?
December 6
Collaborate Rather than Dominate: A Process for Solving Difficult Problems
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We all face challenging behavior and problems we must address with our children as they grow and move through the stages of development. Quite often, when challenging behavior occurs, our first instinct is to tighten the reigns and seek to gain control over the situation. This approach, which can include yelling, threats and punishments, may provide a quick fix to the issue, but it rarely resolves the problem. During this webinar, you will learn how collaboration can be a powerful tool to overcome defiance and reduce the fighting and behavioral challenges in your household. You will learn how to identify and address the root cause, while allowing your positive relationship to serve as the foundation for change.
January 17
Help Your Child Learn to Manage Strong Emotions
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Being able to recognize the physical warning signs and knowing how to regulate the body in order to manage strong emotions such as anger, guilt, sadness and even elation, are skills that must be developed and practiced. For some children, this is more challenging and emotion regulation strategies must be explicitly taught. During this webinar, you will learn how to use mindfulness, art, soothing music and physical activity to help your child develop a toolbox of strategies that work.
January 31
Ways to Motivate and Engage Your Child
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Most of us were raised with behavioral reinforcement systems, such as earning TV time for getting chores done and a little extra money for good grades on report cards. For some kids, systems like this work well enough, but for kids with challenging behavior, behavioral systems often make things worse! During this webinar, you will learn about the three ways to develop intrinsic motivation, or being self-motivated, and how to create conditions at home that encourage your child to be more engaged, interested and motivated to act… simply because it feels rewarding to them when they do so.
February 28
Building Executive Function Skills
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During this webinar, you will learn research-based practices for managing ADHD at home and helping your child learn the life skills they need. Strategies for reducing impulsivity, improving organization, forming positive social connections and improving focus and concentration will all be discussed. In order to use all of these skills, your child must be calm and regulated, so we will also talk about ways to promote self-regulation, including making sure that your child has the language they need to label and talk about what they are feeling.
March 21
Understanding the Impact of Childhood Trauma
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Caregivers often feel powerless in the face of trauma, yet we play a critical role in empowering our children as they cope with and heal from any trauma they have experienced. Explaining the ways in which trauma dysregulates the body is an important first step. During this webinar, you will learn how to teach your child or teen simple strategies to strengthen coping skills, such as mindfulness exercises, while also determining when and how to seek high-quality, trauma-focused therapies and other mental health resources.